Author: Zee News Bureau
Publication: Zeenews.com
Date: August 07, 2009
URL: http://www.zeenews.com/news553328.html
Two suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militants,
who were allegedly planning terror strikes here ahead of Independence Day,
were arrested tonight, a senior Delhi police official said.
Javed Ahmed and Ashiq Ali were apprehended
by Delhi Police' special cell from central Delhi's Daryaganj area when they
were travelling in a white Santro car.
The official said two AK-47 rifles, about
100 catridges and two grenades were also recovered from the militants, who
were in their early 30s.
Asked about their nationality, the official said they appeared to be Indians
from Kashmir.
"We caught them from Mahavir parking
area," Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P N Agarwal told news
agencies.
The arrest came nine days ahead of the Independence
Day celebrations in the national capital.
"We had intelligence inputs about the
movement of these militants and we tracked them," the officer said.
The arrest came hours after Union Home Ministry
made public intelligence inputs about LeT planning terror attack in three
cities -- Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata -- ahead of August 15.
LeT plan to target Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad:
MHA
Ahead of Independence Day, Pakistan-based
terror group Lashker-e-Taiba is planning to target three major cities including
Delhi where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will unfurl the tricolour from the
historic Red Fort, Home Ministry officials said.
Besides the national capital, other cities
on LeT target are Kolkata and Hyderabad, a top Home Ministry official said.
Intelligence agencies have given specific
inputs that LeT, responsible for innumerable terror strikes including 26/11
in Mumbai, is planning to target the three metros in the run-up to the Independence
Day, the official said.
The Centre has already shared the information
with the governments of West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh besides informing Delhi
Police for necessary action.
Searches and regular screening at all the
exit and entry points of Delhi were being carried out to keep a strict watch
on anti-national elements.
Security agencies had fanned informers in
the walled city where Singh will unfurl the flag from the ramparts of 17th-century
monument on August 15.
"The next 10 days are very crucial. We
are taking all necessary steps to foil the designs of LeT to strike at the
three cities," the official said.
The Intelligence input shared included an
interrogation report of some recent catches of terrorists made along the LoC
who claimed that they had been tasked to meet some of the terror cells in
these cities to carry out attacks ahead of the Independence Day.
