Gujarat: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday arrested five more suspected terrorists linked to Pakistan-based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) from various districts across the state. The probe has revealed that one of the accused was actively preparing to assemble a time bomb.
Five more suspects arrested
The five new suspects were intercepted and taken into custody after their names surfaced during the interrogation of previously arrested members of the module. The court has subsequently remanded them to police custody to allow central and state intelligence agencies to further probe the network, NDTV reported.
The arrested persons were identified as Bilal Abidbhai Shera, Mohammad Ayub Kadiwala, Mohammad Palanpuri alias Khali Ayub Sunsara, Shafia Rais Mukhti and Mohammad Hasan Kardia. They were apprehended from Khadiyal village in Siddhpur taluka of Patan district.
This latest operation marks the third wave of arrests in a crackdown against the "Darul Islam Gujarat Jaish-e-Mohammed" sleeper cell, bringing the total number of arrested suspects to 18.
Pakistan links under scrutiny
Earlier, it came to light that the accused were receiving financial assistance from their handlers in Pakistan, and the handlers had asked them to purchase a second-hand car as well.
One of the arrested operatives possessed advanced knowledge of explosives and was on the verge of constructing a live time bomb. Acting on precise operational intelligence, ATS teams swung into action and captured the suspects just before the device could be completed, according to the ATS.
Search for explosive materials
According to authorities, the five individuals, along with the previously arrested accused, were heavily involved in testing improvised explosive devices. Local prosecutors informed the court that while the group had attempted to test a crude time bomb earlier, the initial experiment had failed.
The ATS is currently conducting extensive searches to recover hidden bomb-making materials, technical manuals, and highly radicalised JeM literature written in Urdu.
