Abu Yusuf, the accused, was arrested at around 11.30 PM in the national capital’s Dhaula Kuan area, and two IEDs and a pistol were recovered from his possession, the police said
New Delhi:
A suspected ISIS terrorist, armed with explosives and a weapon, was arrested in Delhi last night after a brief shootout, the police said, adding that he was plotting a “lone wolf attack”.
A high alert has been declared in the national capital and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, with vehicles crossing the Delhi-Noida border being checked by security officials. Noida’s Gautam Buddh Nagar district, which borders Delhi, is also on alert.
Abu Yusuf, the accused, was arrested at around 11.30 PM in the Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan area. Two pressure cookers, turned into IEDs (improved explosive devices) with about 15 kg of explosives in them, and a pistol were recovered from his possession, the police said.
“One ISIS operative was arrested with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by our Special Cell after an exchange of fire at Dhaula Kuan,” Pramod Singh Kushwaha, Delhi DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police) Delhi Police Special Cell, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The police believe the suspect visited several places in the city and was plotting a lone wolf attack. The matter is being investigated further, the police said, to determine if the suspected terrorist had accomplices in other parts of the city or country.
Sources said Abu Yusuf told police he was a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur. He was riding a motorcycle with UP number plates when he was intercepted and arrested, sources added. Following his arrest, officials have conducted raids at six places across Delhi, Ghaziabad in UP and Uttarakhand.
Meanwhile, NSG commandos and members of the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) were seen carrying out search operations near the Buddha Jayanti Park in the national capital’s Ridge Road area.
In visuals shared by ANI, NSG (National Security Guard) commandos, dressed in black and equipped with bulletproof jackets, are gathered around a table on which what appears to be electronic equipment has been set up.
As the visuals play out a six-wheeled black robotic device, likely a bomb defusing or disposal device, trundles down the path and towards a parked truck, at which point it stops and turns to the camera.
In earlier visuals shared by ANI a larger group of people, some of whom are in civilian clothes, can be seen inside the park. The visuals also show NSG commandos with sniffer dogs patrolling the area.
The arrest in Delhi comes days after a doctor was arrested in Bengaluru for alleged links to ISIS.
Abdur Rahman, 28, who worked as an ophthalmologist at a medical college in the city, was arrested by the NIA (National Investigation Agency) based on intelligence from a couple arrested in Delhi in March.
After the arrest the NIA carried out searches at three of premises belonging to Abdur Rehman and seized digital devices, a mobile phone and laptop containing incriminating material.
The couple that provided the intel leading to Rehman’s arrest also allegedly had links with ISIS and other terrorists, including a man in Delhi’s Tihar jail.