The Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday said it had arrested two suspected terrorists belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammed group from Deoband in Saharanpur district, PTI reported. The two suspects were allegedly involved in recruiting members for the militant group.
The police were grated two-day custody of the two suspected terrorists, according to ANI. An Anti-Terrorist Squad has left for Lucknow with the suspects.
State police chief OP Singh said a team of the Anti-Terrorism Squad had raided the module at a hostel in Deoband on Thursday night based on intelligence inputs, Hindustan Times reported.
The two suspects, in their early twenties, are from Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said. One of them, Shahnawaz Ahmed Teli from Kulgam, is an alleged “grenade expert”, Singh said. The other person, Aquib Ahmad Malik, is from Pulwama. They had both posed as students, Singh said.
The police also recovered two weapons and live cartridges from the suspects. Video clips and messages found in their phones have been sent for forensic examination, Singh said.
“We will seek transit remand and investigate when they came here from Kashmir and who is funding them and what was their target,” Singh said. “We are in touch with Jammu and Kashmir Police.”
When asked if the two men were involved in the Pulwama suicide attack, Singh said: “It’s difficult to tell whether they came here before the Pulwama attack or after that. The probe is on.”
Singh said the two men are being interrogated on when they arrived from Kashmir. They are also being questioned on others involved with them, whether they have succeeded in recruiting members, who funded them, and the aim of recruiting members, Singh said, according to PTI.
The Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for a terror attack in Pulwama on February 14. Forty jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed in the attack, leading to renewed tension between India and Pakistan.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya said the arrests were a message to the “enemies of the nation that terrorists will not be able to hide anymore”, reported ANI.
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