On July 11, Uttar Pradesh Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) busted a major Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind module in Lucknow. Prashant Kumar, ADG Law & Order, UP, said that this organisation is affiliated with terror outfit Al-Qaeda. In an official statement issued by ADG Kumar and IG ATS, it was reported ATS got information about Umar Halmandi, a terrorist of Al-Qaeda, who got orders to execute terrorist attacks in India. He operates from the India-Afghanistan border.
PC by ADG L&O UP and IG ATS.#UPPolice https://t.co/hIrDIShsTd
— UP POLICE (@Uppolice) July 11, 2021
He has been actively radicalising Muslims and recruiting them for terrorist operations. In this process, he recruited a few radicals in Lucknow to build the Al-Qaeda module. Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, which is a part of Al Qaeda, has been training these radicals to execute terror attacks in India. A few names were revealed during the investigation, including Minhaz, Maseeruddin, and Shakeel. These three were preparing to execute bomb blasts and suicide attacks in several places across Uttar Pradesh, especially Lucknow.
After tracing their location, several teams were formed to arrest them. A team raided at the house of Minhaz, s/o Siraz Ahmed, resident of Ring Road, Bagaria, Jetta Barawan Kala, Dubbaga, Lucknow. ATS found a large quantity of explosives and a pistol from his house. ATS details Minhas from his house. Bomb Disposal Squad has been neutralising the IEDs found at his house.
During interrogation, the arrested accused said that their associates had managed to escape. ATS teams have been searching for them across Lucknow. All entry and exit points have been barricaded by the Police, and search operations are on. The state is on high alert at the moment.
ATS is currently in the process of filing the FIR against the two detained terrorists. The Police will share more information in the coming days. ADG said if the Police found anything sharable, they will organise another Press Conference.
While ADG was interacting with media during the Press Conference, he was not happy with how the live telecast of the operation ran on several news channels. He said that Police share information on a need-to-know basis as soon as operations are over. He said, “There are guidelines that restrict everyone from telecasting live feed of operations that are of national security.” The Police will share more information if they feel it can be shared.
