SRINAGAR: An attempt of Zakir Musa-led Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a unit of al-Qaeda, to disturb Independence Day celebrations in Delhi and Jammu was foiled with the arrest of a Kashmiri militant, the police said.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu, SDS Jamwal said policemen at a checkpoint at Chatri point Gandhi Nagar in Jammu city on Sunday stopped Irfan Hussain Wani of Dangerpora in Pulwama district due to his suspicious movement. "His bag was searched and eight grenades were seized. Also, Rs 60,000 were also recovered from his possession," the IGP said.
During questioning, Irfan disclosed that he was an AGH militant and had received grenades in Kashmir. "He was to hand over the grenades to somebody in Delhi, where it was to be used to disturb I-Day celebrations," the IGP said, adding that the arrest foiled the terror group's plan to disrupt August 15 celebrations in Delhi and Jammu.
Irfan, a BA dropout, had joined militancy last year after being radicalised.
Describing the arrest of militant as a major success, Jamwal said it was the result of robust security measures put in place by the police across Jammu region to ensure peaceful and incident-free Independence Day celebrations.
The arrested militant is being interrogated for information about his contacts in Jammu and Delhi, the IGP said. "We are also analysing the call details of his mobile phone to know with whom he was in contact. During questioning, he revealed that he was in contact with AGH No 2 Rehan."
The Jammu police was in contact with its counterparts in Kashmir and Delhi. "We are seeking more information about the militant from the Kashmir police so that it can be of help in the probe in unravelling the whole conspiracy," another police source said.