Suspected terrorist holed up near Lucknow

Evidently, incidents such as the MP train blast and the Lucknow siege have put the agencies on high alert, particularly because it’s the final day before the last phase of the seven-phase UP Assembly polls concludes.

A suspected terrorist – Saifullah – was killed after 12 hours of anti-terror operation to capture him alive, police said.

The recoveries made by the police officials after the suspected militant was neutralized has sent shock waves across the country. Ammunition, including eight automatic pistols, live cartridges and some explosives, and an IS flag were recovered from the site of the encounter. The other materials seized included wires, different cords and newspapers. The “terrorist” is suspected to be involved in Tuesday’s Ujjain-Bhopal train blast. Asim Arun, inspector-general of the ATS, had said earlier in the evening: “We are conducting a restrained operation”.

Somen Verma said a team of UP ATS left from here to Lucknow with the two terror suspects at around 3 am today for further questioning. “But, he did not come out”, Arun said.

If this wasn’t enough to sound a warning, fresh information coming through intelligence sources surely should. He told Saifullah that he should devote himself to studies and not terror activities. “They are believed to be the members of Kanpur-Lucknow Islamic State’s Khurasan module”, Ahmed said, referring to an IS bastion in Syria.

“It is an incontrovertible evidence of the fact that ISIS has developed its roots in the nation and the time has now come to give a befitting reply and have a ideal roll-back for counter operations”, Singh said. The cops have also claimed that the accused were a part of ISIS Khorasan module, a terror outfit associated with Al Qaeda.

CCTV footage from near the train explosion site had helped the police to identify the suspects; two were arrested from Kanpur and one from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. The group had reportedly rented the residence six months ago from a man called Badshah, working in Saudi Arabia. Youth is getting attracted towards the ISIS and their ideology. They were being monitored for a while online, they added, without sharing more details. According to the officials, the bombs used in the Ujjain terror blast were made at the Lucknow hideout.