india

Updated: Apr 24, 2019 09:14 IST

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested – Mohammad Faiz, a resident of Delhi’s Jaffrabad area, for a conspiracy to carry out terror attacks in the national capital region (NCR) and Uttar Pradesh by an Islamic State inspired module.

Faiz is the founding member of pro-Islamic State module - Harkat-Ul-Harb-E-Islam, also popularly known as ‘ISIS Amroha module’ recently unearthed by the NIA. So far, 14 members of the module including its leader Mufti Mohammad Suhail have been arrested.

NIA spokesperson Alok Mittal said Faiz was closely involved in the procurement of arms and ammunition for the group to carry out terrorist acts in and around NCR. Suhail, according to a NIA officer, had even travelled to Tral, Rajouri and Bandipora twice last year and had sought arms training from a Pakistan trained “mujahideen”.

The agency had claimed in December 2018, following raids at 17 places in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh that this new ISIS inspired module was at an advanced stage of preparation for carrying out a series of bomb blasts in Delhi with crowded areas and important persons as likely targets.

The outfit members, according to the NIA, were “highly radicalised and motivated” and had conducted reconnaissance at several places in Delhi, including the RSS office and the Delhi Police headquarters.

The agency had recovered 25 kg of explosive material, including potassium nitrate, potassium chlorate, sulphur and sugar paste, 112 alarm clocks, 51 pipes, mobile phone circuits, remote control switches, steel containers and electric wires from the module members, apart from 90 mobile phones and 134 SIM cards and incriminating IS literature.