High alert in Uttar Pradesh after ISIS operative arrested from Delhi

A high alert has been sounded in Uttar Pradesh after the arrest of a suspected ISIS operative arrested from Dhaula Kuan in New Delhi on Friday. The arrested suspect has a connection with Uttar Pradesh and the possibility of his other associates being active cannot be denied, according to a senior state police official.

"The ISIS operative arrested from Dhaula Kuan in Delhi has a connection with Uttar Pradesh. The possibility of his other associates being active cannot be denied. Security agencies in the State are on alert," Prashant Kumar, UP Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Law and Order said today.

"Instructions have been given to alert the ATS and STF units to avert any unfavourable incident and to maintain law and order situation," he added.

The Uttar Pradesh DGP Hitesh Chandra Awasthi on Saturday sounded a high alert in the state hours after the arrest of the ISIS suspect in Delhi.

"On DGP's instructions, all Senior Superintendent of Police (SSPs) and security agencies of Uttar Pradesh instructed to remain on high alert after a person was arrested with IEDs from Delhi today by Delhi Police Special Cell," said Prashant Kumar, ADG-Law and Order, Uttar Pradesh.

The ISIS suspect, who was arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi police, was being handled by Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) commanders from Afghstan and was planning to carry out terror acts in India, according to sources.

The accused identified as Mohd Mustaqeem, originally from Balarampur, Uttar Pradesh, was also in touch with the IS entities of Kashmir, added sources.

Notably, the police have also recovered two cooker bomb Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from his possession. The accused was known to be in communication with ISKP operatives on cyberspace, as per the sources.

The accused is being taken to his native place for further recovery/investigation.

Earlier in the day, scores of National Security Guard (NSG) commandos and Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) were deployed near Buddha Jayanti Park in Ridge Road area to analyse the IEDs recovered from the accused.

The IEDs recovered from the accused have been defused by the security forces.

Mustaqeem was held following a gunfight with the Delhi Police Special Cell at Dhaula Kuan in the morning today.

( With inputs from ANI )