A sleeper cell of banned terror group Hizbul Mujahideen has been busted here with police arresting its chief, a UK-based Kashmiri physiotherapist.
"Police have busted a sleeper cell of Hizbul Mujahideen functioning illegally under the command of self-styled commander Mohammad Shaheen Baba alias Zaid-bin Tariq," a police spokesman said.
Baba, a resident of Chadoora in central Kashmir's Budgam district, along with other members of the cell had planned to carry out "sensational acts of terror by way of IED blasts", the spokesman said.
"One Chinese pistol with magazine, 25 live rounds, incriminating documents and a mobile phone were seized from the cell members," he said.
Giving details, the spokesman said Baba had been working in the UK as a physiotherapist and living in London since 2006. He married an American national of Pakistani origin and visited Pakistan, where he got in touch with commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen.
"On their (commanders') directions, (he) established the sleeper cell. The group was planning to carry out IED blasts in the Valley especially in Srinagar city," he added.
The other members of the group have been identified as Mudasir Ahmad Baba alias Auranzaib, Basharat Hussain Baba, Uqab Ahmad Wazir and Manzoor Ahmad, he said.
The spokesman, however, did not specify if any other member of the cell other than Baba had been arrested.
Further investigations are going on which may lead to more arrests, he said adding a case under section 13 of Unlawful Activities Act has been registered in Police station Sadder here, the spokesman said.
