BENGALURU: The three operatives of Indian Mujahideen arrested on Thursday are making startling revelations, a police source said.
Syed Ismail Afaq, Saddam Hussein and Abdus Subur are ‘highly radicalised’, and were allegedly planning big attacks. “They had been under our radar for almost a year after we confirmed their nexus with Indian Mujahideen,” a senior police officer told Express.
He said interrogation was on and the investigators were ferreting out specific information. “Preliminary investigations have revealed the two scrap merchants and the MBA graduate from Bhatkal had made plans to carry out terror attacks in and around Bengaluru. They had also stocked up on explosives to carry out attacks in other parts of the country,” the source said.
He alleged the suspects had links with some members of the Karnataka Forum for Dignity and the Popular Front of India, and had taken part in some of their meetings. “The suspects were radicalised some years ago, and we are trying to understand how they came in contact with the IM. We are not ruling out their contact with IM chief Riyaz Bhatkal,” the officer added. Afaq was allegedly trained in making explosives and was keen to recruit more young men to the terror outfit after making multiple visits to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, CM Siddaramaiah on Friday congratulated the state police for arresting two terrorists. Denying allegations that Bhatakal has emerged as a terror hub in the country, the CM said there are several such places across the country.