Lucknow: The Anti Terror Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh police has nabbed two terrorists of Al-Qaeda from Lucknow on Sunday. The arrested terrorists along with other were planning to rock UP before and on Independence Day. The ATS and other security agencies have launched a massive search operation across the state to arrest others involved in this planning. The arrested terrorists were also planning explosions in religious cities of UP. The ATS team has found IED and pressure cooker bombs from the arrested terrorists.
The Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order, Prashant Kumar and Inspector General (IG), ATS GK Goswami informed that both the arrested terrorist were members of Ansar Gajwatul Hind, an arm of Al-Qaeda in India. A huge cache of arms and explosive has been recovered from the hide out of terrorists in Lucknow. ADG informed that the terrorists who could be more in numbers were planning. He said that ATS had intelligence report about some terrorists planning to rock state capital and other cities with explosive and human bombs on the eve of Independence Day. On a tip off, ATS team raided a house in Dubagga locality of Lucknow and arrested one Minhaj who was member of terror group. Huge amount of explosive and a pistol has been recovered from the house where Minhaj was residing. Besides the ATS, team also raided a house in Mohbillahpur locality of Lucknow where it arrested Masruddin with huge cache of arms under his possession.
The IG ATS said that the handler of these terrorists was Al-Zaidi who is sitting in Peshwar city of Pakistan. He said that plans to rock UP cities was prepared in Pakistan and terrorists were getting instructions from there. The terrorists had arranged huge amount of explosive to execute their plans. ADG Prashant Kumar informed that there could few more people from Lucknow and Kanpur involved in this conspiracy and hunt is on to nab them. The arrested terrorists have told during interrogation that few of their aides have escaped before the raid. While interrogation in going the ATS teams are searching many houses in the area where these terrorists were residing.
