Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday thanked his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu for arresting a terrorist who was planning a suicide attack on a leader of the ruling BJP in India.
Singh had a brief exchange with Shoigu on the sideline of a meeting of the defence ministers of the member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent. He conveyed to Shoigu his deep appreciation and thanks for arresting in Russia a terrorist, who was planning attacks in India, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Defence.
Russia’s Federal Security Service on Monday announced the detention of Azamov Mashahont. The 30-year-old citizen of a Central Asian nation was indoctrinated by the Islamic State during his stay in Turkey. He later returned to Russia and was planning to travel to India to carry out a suicide attack on a leader of the BJP, apparently in response to controversial comments about Prophet Mohammed made by two functionaries of the saffron party, Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, in May.
Singh said that terrorism in any form, including cross-border terrorism, committed by anyone and for whatever purpose, was a crime against humanity.
"Terrorism is one of the most serious challenges to global peace and security. India reiterates its resolve to fight all forms of terrorism and make the region peaceful, secure and stable," the defence minister said. “We seek to develop joint institutional capabilities with the SCO member states, which, while respecting the sensitivities of each country, create the spirit of cooperation among individuals, societies and nations.”