The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested four ISIS terrorists, all of whom are Sri Lankan nationals, at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Indian media reported today.
The Gujarat ATS has taken the suspects to an undisclosed location for intensive questioning, reported TV9 Gujarati. The precise motive behind their presence at the Ahmedabad airport is not clear.
Security has been heightened across the airport, the report said.
The individuals, all Sri Lankan nationals, first arrived in Chennai before travelling to Ahmedabad, as per the media reports. They were waiting for instructions from their Pakistani handlers when they were apprehended.
The arrest occurred before the suspects could receive any weapons, Indian media reports said. A press conference is scheduled for 4 PM where Gujarat DGP will provide further details regarding the arrests, it said.
The arrests were made ahead of the arrival of three IPL teams at the Ahmedabad airport for the qualifier and eliminator games.
In March, two top-rung leaders of ISIS in India were arrested near the international border after they crossed over from Bangladesh.
The arrested ISIS cadres were identified as Harish Ajmal Farooqi alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi, a resident of Dehradun in Uttarakhand, and Anurag Singh alias Rehan, a resident of Panipat in Haryana.
Both individuals were described as highly indoctrinated and motivated leaders of ISIS in India, involved in various activities including recruitment, terror funding, and planning terror acts using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“They had furthered the cause of ISIS in India through conspiracies to carry out recruitment, terror funding and terror acts by means of IEDs at several places across India,” the police official said.
According to the STF, several cases were registered against these two by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), New Delhi and ATS, Lucknow.
Source: The Hindustan Times/ANI
--Agencies
