Terror attack averted in Hyderabad, 2 ISIS-linked suspects arrested

A local court in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram town on Sunday evening remanded two suspected terrorists, allegedly linked to a Saudi Arabia-based outfit, to 14 days of judicial custody, according to people familiar with the matter.

The two accused—Siraj-ur-Rehman (29) from Vizianagaram and Syed Sameer (28) from Bhoiguda in the Secunderabad region of Hyderabad—were arrested earlier in the day in a joint operation conducted by the counterintelligence police of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Following specific intelligence input, police raided Siraj’s house in Vizianagaram in the early hours and seized explosive materials, including ammonia, sulphur, and aluminium powder, from the premises.

“Based on the information provided by him, the Telangana police picked up Sameer from Hyderabad and brought him to Vizianagaram later in the evening after obtaining a prisoner transit (PT) warrant from a Hyderabad court,” said a police official familiar with the operation.

The Vizianagaram Town-II police produced the duo in the local court, which remanded them to judicial custody for two weeks. The official added that they were booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for plotting terrorist acts and endangering public peace.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Siraj had completed his engineering studies and was searching for a job, while Sameer was employed at a lift-operating company.

Siraj had moved to Hyderabad from Vizianagaram under the pretext of preparing for the Group-2 competitive exams. During his stay in Hyderabad, he reportedly held multiple meetings with Sameer to discuss their terror plans.

Later, Siraj returned to Vizianagaram to write the Group-2 exam and had the explosive chemicals delivered to his address, intending to use them for planned bomb rehearsals.

“The two accused had formed a terror outfit named Al Hind Ittehadul Muslimeen (AHIM) and were operating under this banner. Siraj was the key leader, and Sameer acted as his deputy,” the official said.

Investigations also revealed that the duo had received guidance from an unidentified terror handler based in Saudi Arabia, who was communicating with them primarily via Instagram and providing directives for planning and executing terrorist activities in India.

Following these instructions, Siraj and Sameer allegedly began methodically planning bomb blasts. They reportedly aimed to expand their operations across India. The accused procured explosive chemicals like potassium chlorate and sulphur online and educated themselves about bomb-making through online resources.

“Plans were in place to conduct bomb blast rehearsals around Vizianagaram on either May 21 or 22. However, before these plans could materialise, the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana police, acting jointly, foiled the conspiracy,” the official said.

The foiled plot comes weeks after a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 innocent people were killed by terrorists.

That attack, which targeted Hindu tourists in the scenic Baisaran Valley, led to a strong military and diplomatic response from India, including Operation Sindoor, a cross-border retaliation strike aimed at nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Source: Hindustan Times
--Agencies