India's home minister said that police had foiled an attack by suspected militants from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT) group.
P Chidambaram told reporters that two men had been arrested at New Delhi's main station after a tip-off from intelligence agencies and work by three state police agencies.
"They were planning to detonate a bomb or more than one bomb in a crowded locality," he said, citing initial reports from the police investigation.
The pair – and others who have been detained in connection with the alleged plot – are to be produced before a local court, he added.
Chidambaram said it was "an important module" of the group that had been planning a "terrorist incident in Delhi." Neither he nor the police would disclose when the men were detained.
The arrests, if followed by convictions, would be an intelligence coup for the Indian security forces which have been criticised for failing to prevent, or catch those responsible for, a string of blasts over the last few years.
New Delhi has been a frequent target for terror attacks. In September, a bomb outside Delhi High Court killed 14 people, while in early February a bomb blast badly wounded an Israeli diplomat in the heart of the city near the prime minister's residence.
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Terrorism knows no religion. It kills Hindu and Muslims alike. For whatever difference India and Pakistan has, terrorism and religious extremism is not a solution. we both need to support each other and uproot such evils from the society and give common man a healthy and liberal environment to thrive and progress. Border and states issues will soon become irrelevant.
@gp65: Have read additional information that there is evidence one of the people had come from Pakistan in Dec 2011. Also they had videos about the terror camps. So the suspicion that they are connected to LeT maybe legitimate. @Qasim : True. Until 26/11 happened our intelligence agencies were also clueless. Since then, there was a public outcry and significant investments in training, technology, communication processes, headcount etc. All terror attacks have clearly not been prevented but the frequency has significantly reduced. Also there have been a couple of times that they caught people ahead of time and prevented a terror attack. In India the Home minister to whom the intelligence agencies report - had to resign - after 26/11. Only when similar accountability happens in Pakistan that your agencies will also upgrade themselves...my 2 cents.
Good luck. No-one - no Indian nor Pakistani - deserves to die in such terror attacks.
If true, perhaps they can train Pakistani intelligence agencies to preempt the continuing massacre in the country. Ours can't catch them even after the bloodbath; clueless, blaming foreign hands etc. etc.
Two more strategic assets caught, but India should aim for the bearded head !
Kudos, our rival India actually has a security apparatus that somehow works, and prevents terrorist attacks. Isn't LeT somehow connected to Hafiz Saeed?
"“We have apprehended two militants. We do not know as yet which organisation they belong to. We are in the midst of a high-level investigation,” Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP."
In light of this statement, it is unclear why the title refers to LeT. They may be LeT but even the Delhi police is not making such a claim, so why is Tribune saying this?
Wow