Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) nabbed two suspected Al Qaeda terrorists in Lucknow on Sunday. An IED explosive, a pistol and a pressure cooker bomb were also recovered during the raids, according to top officials. The suspects were plotting terror attacks across Uttar Pradesh ahead of August 15 (Independence Day), said UP police additional director general (ADG), law and order, Prashant Kumar. He added that agencies have reason to believe that the suspects were planning to carry out attacks, including “human bomb” attacks in crowded places.
The ATS teams are carrying out searches at different locations in Lucknow as some more members of this module have escaped before the arrest of two accused, said Kumar. Minhaz Ahmed, a resident of Lucknow’s Dubagga area, and Maseeruddin, a resident of Lucknow’s Madiyaon area, both suspected members of the terror outfit Ghazwat-ul-Hind, have been arrested. Explosive material has been recovered from them,” said UP ADG, Prashant Kumar. The duo was taken into custody on Sunday during a series of raids by the UP ATS and Lucknow Police. According to reports, Maseeruddin got married four years ago and is a father of two. His wife is a professor at a private university in Lucknow and lives with the children at the university hostel. Late on Sunday,the ATS team arrested another suspect from the Chamanganj area in Kanpur.
During the nearly six-hour raid, the ATS team found several incriminating evidence, including two semi-prepared IED-based pressure cooker bombs, explosive materials and a pistol, following which the property was sealed, the official added. The police have also detained two people from Ahmed’s house, while two others managed to escape, the official said.
