The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad on Saturday arrested two men and with suspected links to the Islamic State and also claimed to have foiled a bomb attack the men were planning. ATS teams arrested Wasim Ramodia and Naem Ramodia from Rajkot and Bhavanagar, with Gujarat ATS Deputy Superintendent of Police KK Patel saying the two had been under surveillance for the last 18 months, India Today reported.
The two brothers, who deal in scrap, were planning to attack a temple in Surendranagar, according to senior officers quoted by The Indian Express. Police officers claimed they had discovered bomb-making tutorials on their laptops and had also recovered explosives, gun powder, masks and militant propaganda from them. They were reportedly using social media and messaging platforms such as Twitter and Telegram to contact Islamic State operatives abroad.
“The intelligence agencies had also been watching these youths ever since Islamic State emerged as a major terror threat,” an officer told the Express. The arrests are the first such ones by the Gujarat ATS. Security and intelligence agencies from across the country have arrested other possible Islamic State operatives. In July 2016, the National Investigation Agency arrested a man reportedly planning to attack the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.
The NIA is also looking into a “kill list” obtained from Islamic State handlers. The list targets computer experts such as ethical hackers and software managers who helped agencies trace members of the outfit and recruits. It contains names of of people across the world, including details of more than 150 such professionals from Maharashtra.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!