The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday busted an alleged Islamic State (IS) terror module in Hyderabad and detained 11 persons from across the city.
One airgun, two .9 mm pistols, nails, two airgun target boards and other material like chemicals used for making explosives and Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs) were seized during the raid.
The suspects -- aged between 20 and 42 -- were allegedly plotting bomb attacks and indiscriminate firing on shopping malls and crowded places in the city, NIA sources said.
The suspects, said to be IS sympathisers, were caught by different NIA teams which conducted raids at 10 locations across the city early Wednesday morning in coordination with Andhra Pradesh Police.
The sources said most of the places raided fall within the jurisdiction of Moghulpura, Meer Chowk and Bhawani Nagar police stations.
Cash totalling Rs 15 lakh, 23 mobile phones, three laptops and seven pen drives were also seized.
The NIA said the suspects included five persons against whom the anti-terror agency had registered a First Information Report on June 22 with regard to an emerging fundamentalist group affiliated to the IS.
The case was registered under Sections 121 (waging war against the government), 121-A (conspiring to commit certain offences against the state) and 122 (collecting arms and ammunition with the intention of waging war against the government) of the Indian Penal Code.
Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act and Sections 18-B (conspiracy), 38 (part of terrorist organisation), 39 (supporting terrorist organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were also added to the FIR.
Those booked are Mohammed alias Yazdani, 24; his brother Mohammed Ibrahim, 29, of Aman Nagar; Habib Mohammed, 32, of Barkas; Mohammed Irfan alias Yaqais, 26, of Chatta Bazaar; and Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Amoodi alias Fahad, 30, of Charminar. All the areas fall in Hyderabad.
The other detained suspects are Syed Naimath Ullah Hussaini, 42, of Moghalpura; Muzaffar Hussain Rizwan, 29, of Talab Katta; Mohammed Ataullah Rehman, 30, of Bandlaguda; Abdul alias Al Jeelani Abdul Qadir Mohsin Mahmood, 32, of Yusuf Gulshan colony; A.M. Azhar, 20 of Talab Katta; and Mohammed Arbaz Ahmed, 21, of Chandrayan Gutta.
Some of the arrested youth were practicing with airguns in Bandlaguda and Chandrayangutta areas.
An NIA official said Mohammed Ibrahim and Habib Mohammed were identified as the main suspects.
Ibrahim, through his Facebook accounts, was allegedly trying to recruit youth for the IS by using internet and other modes of communication.
NIA officials were questioning the accused at an undisclosed location to unravel the entire plot.
On the other hand, the parents of the arrested youth reached the NIA office in Begumpet and claimed their innocence. They also demanded a meeting with the detained suspects.
"During questioning of the suspects, it was found that the new module was getting instructions from some unidentified handlers from a foreign country," the NIA official said.
--IANS
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