India police claim arresting 'LeT-linked militants' planning Delhi attack
Arrested men were members of the home-grown Indian Mujahideen outfit.
NEW DELHI:
Indian police on Thursday said they had arrested three militants suspected of planning bomb attacks in New Delhi during the upcoming Hindu festival season. Police believe they are linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The arrested men were members of the home-grown Indian Mujahideen (IM) outfit and were behind a series of blasts in August in the western city of Pune that left one person injured, New Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said.
The IM is an India-based terrorist group which has carried out several attacks on civilian targets.
"With the three arrests we have prevented a major strike in Delhi," Kumar told reporters.
He said the arrests followed the interrogation of Syed Zabiuddin, who was arrested in June in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks which left 166 people dead. Police believe Zabiuddin belonged to the LeT.
"These three arrested men are Indian operatives and linked to a Lashkar figure [Zabiuddin] so it proves that the two groups have close links at some level," Kumar said, adding the suspects had been picked up after travelling to the capital.
The IM claimed responsibility for blasts in July 2008 in Ahmedabad city when 45 died and in Delhi two months later when 20 people were killed.
Indian police on Thursday said they had arrested three militants suspected of planning bomb attacks in New Delhi during the upcoming Hindu festival season. Police believe they are linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
The arrested men were members of the home-grown Indian Mujahideen (IM) outfit and were behind a series of blasts in August in the western city of Pune that left one person injured, New Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said.
The IM is an India-based terrorist group which has carried out several attacks on civilian targets.
"With the three arrests we have prevented a major strike in Delhi," Kumar told reporters.
He said the arrests followed the interrogation of Syed Zabiuddin, who was arrested in June in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks which left 166 people dead. Police believe Zabiuddin belonged to the LeT.
"These three arrested men are Indian operatives and linked to a Lashkar figure [Zabiuddin] so it proves that the two groups have close links at some level," Kumar said, adding the suspects had been picked up after travelling to the capital.
The IM claimed responsibility for blasts in July 2008 in Ahmedabad city when 45 died and in Delhi two months later when 20 people were killed.