135 SIM card, 100 alarm clocks, 25kg of chemicals: How NIA stopped ISIS plot of unleashing major terror strikes in India

“They weren’t just making bombs, they were making a large number of bombs,” Inspector General NIA, Alok Mittal, said at a press conference in Delhi.

"We conducted searches at 17 locations in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with a new ISIS module styled as 'Harkat ul Harb e Islam' which was in an advanced stage of carrying out a series of blasts," the official said.   

Five more were detained from north-east Delhi with the help of Delhi Police's Special Cell, officials said.

Mittal in the press conference gave details about the men arrested. He said,"Out of the 16 men detained initially, only 10 have been arrested. Civil Engineering student, a graduate student, the employee of a mosque in Amroha, a couple of welders and an auto driver among the ten men arrested. “All of these men hail from middle-income families,” Mittal said. 

Following are their brief profiles and roles as alleged by the NIA: 1. Mufti Mohammed Suhail alias Hazrath (29): The alleged founder of the group is a native of Amroha in West Uttar Pradesh where he works as a Mufti in a madrasa at Hakim Mahtab Uddin Hashmi Road. Presently residing in Jafrabad in North East Delhi, he allegedly founded the group three-four months back and indoctrinated its members using on-line resources linked to the ISIS. A video has been seized by the agency where Suhail can be heard telling how to assemble bomb using a circuit. 

It is alleged that he had tasked other team members to procure arms, explosives and other accessories to prepare remote-controlled bombs and pipe-bombs.

2. Anas Yunus (24): A resident of Jafrabad. He is a student of Civil Engineering at a private university in Noida. He procured electrical items, alarm clocks and batteries etc to be used in assembling bombs in furtherance of their terror conspiracy.

3. Rashid Zafar Raq alias Zafar (23): Also a resident of Jafrabad. He is into garments business and was part of the group.

4. Saeed alias Sayeed (28): A resident of Saidapur Imma, Amroha, runs welding shop in Amroha where some pistols and rocket launcher were fabricated.

5. Saeed's brother Raees Ahmad: A resident of Saidapur Imma, Amroha, UP. He owns a welding shop at Islam Nagar, Near Idgah, Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. The brothers had allegedly procured 25 kilogram of explosive material and gun powder for preparing IEDs and pipe bombs and were instrumental in fabricating a rocket launcher to carry out terrorist attacks.

6. Zubair Malik (20): A resident of Jafrabad. He is a student of BA 3rd year at a University in Delhi.

7. Zubair's brother Zaid (22): A resident of Jafrabad. Both the brothers were part of the terror conspiracy and were instrumental in procuring batteries, connectors, SIM cards (135 recovered during searches) on fake documents and mobilising funds for buying bomb-making material. Both allegedly stole family gold to arrange for money.

8. Saqib Iftekar (26): A resident of Hapur, Uttar Pradesh. He works as an Imam in Jama Masjid, Baksar, Uttar Pradesh and helped Mohammed Suhail in procuring weapons. The agency has recovered 12 pistols, 150 rounds of live ammunition, knives and swords during searches.

9. Mohammed Irshad (in late 20s): A resident of Mohalla Qazi Zada, Amroha. An auto-rickshaw driver who was helping Mohammed Suhail in arranging a hideout for keeping the material for making IEDs and bombs. The agency has recovered 25 kg of explosive material, such as Potassium Nitrate, Ammonium Nitrate, Sulphur, Sugar material paste, 112 alarm clocks, mobile phone circuits, batteries, 51 pipes, remote control toys, wireless digital doorbell, steel containers, electric wires.

10. Mohammed Azam (35): A resident of Chauhan Bajar, Delhi. He runs a medical shop in Seelampur, Shahdara, Delhi and helped Mohammed Suhail arrange weapons

Large quantities of explosive material, weapons and ammunition including a country made rocket launcher have been recovered so far, he added. 

The official said that Rs 7.5 lakh, nearly 100 mobile phone, 135 SIM cards, laptops and memory cards were seized in the raids, adding that searches at some locations were still underway.  

Photo Credit: DNA/ Bir Bahadur 

Mittal also added that the men used to communicate with each other via messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram and that they were in touch with someone abroad who was their handler. He said that they were still trying to ascertain the identity and location of their ‘handler’. 

Jaffrabad: Delhi and National Investigation Agency (NIA) vehicle parked in a locality during a search operation in connection with a probe into a new ISIS module called ''Harkat ul Harb e Islam'', at Jaffrabad, North East district in Delhi, Wednesday, December 26, 2018. National Investigation Agency (NIA) with Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Police officials jointly conducted searches across 16 locations in Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.

Checking the level of preparation done by the men, Mittal said that they have been preparing to make pipe bombs and remote-controlled bombs to carry out attacks at multiple targets. These attacks were to be carried out at vital installations, some security installations, important persons and crowded places. He also said the men had been in the process of making suicide vests to carry out fidayeen attacks.

Over the last few years, the intelligence agencies have been tracking the growing influence of ISIS in India. This group had come to the notice of the federal investigation agency about three-four months back but it had taken investigators time to unravel the conspiracy.

Jaffrabad: National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Delhi Police officials during a search operation in connection with a probe into a new ISIS module called ''Harkat ul Harb e Islam'', at Jaffrabad, North East district in Delhi, Wednesday, December 26, 2018. The agency with Uttar Pradesh and Delhi police conducted searches across 16 locations in Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.