| |
| |
![]() |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
NEW DELHI : Indian authorities arrested two suspected members of the outlawed Hizbul Mujahideen militant group who were allegedly planning attacks in the capital New Delhi, police said on Friday.
The suspects, identified as Javed Ahmed and Ashiq Ali, were taken into custody in New Delhi on Thursday night, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.
The two men were from Indian-administered Kashmir and had been trained in Pakistan, the Press Trust of India reported, quoting unidentified police sources.
The arrests came amid tightened security ahead of India's Independence Day on August 15 marking the country's independence from Britain in 1947.
Hundreds of extra police and paramilitary forces have been deployed across New Delhi following intelligence reports suggesting a series of possible attacks by Islamist groups.
"We were working in close coordination with intelligence agencies which ultimately resulted to the arrest," a senior police officer said.
The home ministry on Thursday issued a "high alert" in three cities including New Delhi. Police said they had seized weapons, explosives and documents from the suspects.
India steps up security every year ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, especially in the capital and flashpoint areas of Indian Kashmir where a separatist revolt has raged since 1989.
India has blamed Pakistan for repeated attacks on its soil, including last year's assault on Mumbai that left 166 dead.
Delhi accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants in Muslim-majority Kashmir - a charge Islamabad denies.
- AFP/al
|
