Alim Ahmad, the suspected IS sympathiser who was arrested from Lucknow on Friday, has said that he and his associates planned to carry out blasts at the ongoing Magh Mela in Allahabad and during Repub
Alim Ahmad, the suspected IS sympathiser who was arrested from Lucknow on Friday, has said that he and his associates planned to carry out blasts at the ongoing Magh Mela in Allahabad and during Republic Day celebrations.
He confessed that he had held a meeting with seven persons at his Indira Nagar residence in Lucknow in this regard.
Alim’s mother told reporters that her son was being falsely implicated. “He is a student of B.Com and has never ventured out of UP — how can he be an ISIS man ” she asked. The investigating agencies said that he came into contact with the IS through a social networking site few months ago. ADG (law and order) Daljit Singh Chaudhary told reporters that both, state and Central security agencies were interrogating Alim and another suspect, Rizwan, who was arrested from Kushinagar, to ascertain more details about the plot.
The first four suspects revealed that eight members of a terrorist outfit had held a secret meeting in Lucknow a few days ago in which they discussed their plans of attack.
The UP Anti-Terrorist Squad had arrested Alim Ahmad from his house in Lucknow and Rizwan Ahmad from Kushinagar, based on information acquired from four suspected militants, including Akhlaq ur Rehman, Mohammad Osama alias Adil who is believed to be the point man.
The arrest came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting Lucknow. Security agencies are now searching for the others who were present in the meeting and the online activity of the suspects is also being scanned.
The NIA’s arrest of 14 suspects was based on information gleaned from their online activity. The suspects were picked after intelligence indicated they were trying to secure arms and ammunition. The arrests also led to explosive material being recovered.
Sources said the NIA told the home ministry that Muttabir Mushtaq Sheikh, who is among those arrested and believed to be the leader of the group, recently received funds worth '6 lakh. The suspects were reportedly in touch with Indian Mujahideen’s Shafi Armar.
