A major terror conspiracy linked to Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI and the Shahzad Bhatti module has been uncovered during the interrogation of the accused arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell, sources said.
Investigators have revealed that a historic temple in Delhi was among the key targets of the Pakistan-backed module. According to sources, one of the accused had conducted reconnaissance of the temple and shared photographs of the site with social media handlers based in Pakistan.
The terror plot allegedly involved plans to open fire on police and paramilitary personnel deployed at the temple before targeting the religious site itself.
Famous dhaba in Haryana on target
Sources further revealed that a popular dhaba located on the Delhi-Sonipat highway was also on the target list. The eatery, which witnesses thousands of visitors every day, was allegedly to be attacked using hand grenades with the intention of causing large-scale destruction and panic.
Murthal in Haryana's Sonipat district is the hub of popular dhabas located on National Highway-44 stretching from Delhi to Amritsar in Punjab. These eateries are visited by thousands of people round the clock daily.
A military camp in Hisar was also reportedly under the radar of the ISI-linked module. Videos of the camp’s reconnaissance were allegedly sent to handlers operating from Pakistan.
Apart from this, police personnel posted at certain police stations in Uttar Pradesh were also among the intended targets of the terror network.
The revelations came a day after the Delhi Police Special Cell, along with central agencies, arrested 9 operatives linked to the Shahzad Bhatti module from Delhi and several other states on Thursday. A cache of weapons and incriminating material was also recovered during the operation.
NIA chargesheet on ISIS-linked bioterror plot to carry out mass poisoning
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted 3 accused, including a doctor, for their alleged role in an ISIS-linked conspiracy to carry out mass poisoning attacks in public places using a deadly biological toxin, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused, Hyderabad-based Dr Syed Ahmed Mohiuddin and Uttar Pradesh residents Azad and Mohammad Suhel, have been chargesheeted before a special NIA court in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
According to the NIA, the trio was acting under the guidance of foreign-based ISIS handlers and worked in a coordinated manner to recruit vulnerable and radicalised youth to support jihad and spread terror using prohibited weapons and bioterrorism.
Investigators said the accused had planned to use ricin, an extremely toxic substance extracted from castor seeds, to execute the terror plot. Ricin is classified under Schedule I of the Chemical Weapons Convention due to its lethal nature.
