Terrorist, planning blast on August 15, with ISIS links held by UP police

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday arrested an alleged terrorist with Islamic State links who was planning a terror attack on Independence Day, an official said here. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the police arrested Sabauddin Azmi, a member of the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM, after questioning him at its Lucknow headquarters, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said in a statement.

The suspect, a resident of the Amilo area of Azamgarh district, also goes by the names Dilawar Khan and Bairam Khan, the statement said. A case has been registered against Azmi, who was in direct contact with an ISIS recruiter, under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Arms Act, it added.

The ATS has seized materials used in making bombs, an illegal weapon, and cartridges from the accused, the statement said. The UP ATS received information that the accused, after being influenced by ISIS ideology, was spreading jihadi ideas and trying to get others to join the terror outfit, it said.

He was brought in for questioning and arrested after evidence of his links with ISIS were found, the statement said. It also said that after connecting with a person identified as Bilal on Facebook, Azmi started a conversation about the action being taken in Kashmir and Bilal provided him the contact of ISIS member Musa, alias Khattab Kashmiri. Azmi got in touch with Musa and then with Abu Bakr al-Shami of the ISIS living in Syria, the statement said.

According to the police, Shami got Azmi in touch with Abu Umar, a resident of Murtaniya who started training him on how to make hand grenades, bombs, and IEDs and working on a plan to establish an Islamic State in India. The statement said Azmi was planning an explosion on Independence Day. Azmi was working on a plan to target members of the RSS, it added.