Alleged al-Qaeda linked terrorists sent to custody for two weeks in UP

An NIA/ATS court on Monday sent the two alleged terrorists of the Al-Qaeda-supported Ansar Ghazwatul Hind arrested from the outskirts of Lucknow to 14-day police custody, according to the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad.

The arrested were produced before the court on Monday.

In a statement issued here, the UP ATS said, "A case was registered Minhaz Ahmed and Maseeruddin under various sections of the IPC, UAPA, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act at the ATS police station, Lucknow on July 11 (Sunday)."

It said that the court sent them to police custody for two weeks from July 13 and in this period, the ATS will form teams and thoroughly interrogate about their other associates.

The two terrorists were arrested from the outskirts of Lucknow on Sunday and they were planning explosions, including using "human bombs", at several places in Uttar Pradesh, a senior official had alleged.

A huge amount of explosive was also seized from their houses here, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar had told reporters.

They were planning to "unleash terror activities before August 15 (Independence Day) in different cities of the state", including Lucknow, Kumar had said on Sunday.

Ahmed and Maseeruddin, on the instructions of Umar Halmandi, the head of the Uttar Pradesh module of the Al-Qaeda, along with their associates were planning to "unleash terror activities before August 15 in different cities of the state, especially in its capital Lucknow", the additional director general of police (ADGP) said.

"They were planning explosions at important places, memorials and crowded places, and also to use human bombs. For this, they were collecting weapons and explosives," Kumar had said.

He also said that members of this module are not only from Lucknow but also from Kanpur in the state.

"During interrogation, the accused said that their accomplices ran away from their house. The ATS team along with the local police has undertaken intensive checking," Kumar said and added that a case has been registered in this connection at the ATS station.

The official said that an improvised explosive device (IED) was found at Ahmed's house along with a huge amount of explosives and a pistol.

Explosives were also seized from Maseeruddin's residence, he said.