JOIN USUjjain train blast only a 'trailer'
The interception of online chat between suspected Islamic State terrorists involved in the Bhopal-Ujjain train explosion about their operation led to the arrest of three of them and the killing of another, official sources said.
The IS module, which was formed after the members got in touch via the internet under the guidance of a handler abroad, was under surveillance of the security agencies for some time.
Pak, Afghan influence
Sources said the operatives were part of the IS-Khurasan group, which is a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, operating in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Investigations are underway whether these people were in touch with a group of Indians who had joined IS and are now operating in Afghanistan.
According to investigators, the conspiracy is believed to have been hatched in Telangana, from where a number of people have joined IS after leaving India.
The suspects, who were influenced by the IS ideology, were then tasked with carrying out the strike.
Sources said the low-intensity blast on the train appeared to be a ‘trailer’ and they were planning to strike bigger later. Intelligence officials suspect that there were also plans to target the Deva Shareef, the dargah of Waris Ali Shah, in Madhya Pradesh.
Inputs from states
The arrests came even as police forces in Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are coordinating regularly and sharing information on youth who left their states to join IS.
The police forces, sources said, had picked up some chat about those who were reportedly involved in the blast, and handed it over to their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Atif Muzzaffar, a resident of Kanpur, and Mohammad Danis were arrested from Kanpur, while Sayyed Meer Hussain was picked up from Kannauj, UP. Meanwhile, they also got information about suspected IS operative Saifullah, who was killed while being holed up in a house in Lucknow’s Thakurganj, where an operation was launched.