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'LeT trio wanted to attack during Obama visit'

The Delhi police are on the look out for three suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba operatives hailing from Kashmir, who are on the loose in the capital, reports Sahim Salim.

Delhi's newly-appointed Police Commissioner B K Gupta is on his first high-profile task in the capital -- policing the India International Trade Fair -- and he has more than one reason to be on his toes. Inputs from the Intelligence Bureau and disclosures made by an alleged arrested terrorist have revealed that three suspected Lashkar-e-Tayiba operatives hailing from Kashmir are on the loose in the capital.

Police sources said that the three Kashmiri terrorists, in their 20s, are aides of the alleged Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist, Mohammad Abdulla Inquilabi, who was arrested by the special cell of Delhi's anti-terrorist wing on November 14.

Abdulla, who is a self-styled divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, told the police during interrogation that their initial intention was to launch a terror attack during the visit of United States President Barack Obama earlier this month, say insiders.

"When that did not work out, they were planning several small-scale terror activities in Delhi to coincide with the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks," a special cell officer said.

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How Delhi cops identified the terrorists

According to a senior police official in the special cell, Abdulla had come to Delhi on November 4 and was accompanied by the three others. "We interrogated him further and he told us that the trio had come to Delhi to carry out terror activities along with him. On basis of descriptions given by him, we have made sketches of the three suspects," he said.

The Delhi police contacted their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir for their photographs. The cops in the capital so far have learnt that two of the suspects run their own businesses in Kashmir. With the help of the J&K police, the special cell has now acquired passport-sized photographs of the duo from their business identity cards and the photo of the third suspect from his medical identity card.

The posters of the suspected terrorists along with some basic information have been put up in different parts of the city including the Pragati Maidan, where the IITF is being held.

"The Intelligence Bureau has also issued a terror alert for Delhi. In fact, it was on their advice that we put up the posters of the three suspects," the officer added.

However, the posters do not identify the three men as terror suspects, but they are just A4-sized computer printouts with black-and-white photographs of the trio with a header that reads 'Identity Cards'. No contact details have been provided by the Delhi police on who to contact if the men are spotted.

 

Wanted LeT trio's first target: Delhi

According to Abdulla's confession, the trio has been identified as Shahjaib AH Malik, Bilal Ahmad Begh and Ibriam Shek. While Malik and Shek hail from Pampore, Begh is from Tal; both small towns in Kashmir's in Pulwama district. The trio has not been involved in any terror activities in the past, but they have watched and executed terror attacks from sidelines, he said.

Abdulla hails from Muzaffarabad district in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and had sneaked into Rajouri in Kashmir ten years ago. He was arrested on November 14 by the special cell from Deer Park in south Delhi after a brief exchange of fire.

According to the J&K police and the Delhi special cell, Abdulla was responsible for most of terrorist activities conducted by the Hizbul Mujahideen since he was appointed as the divisional commander in 2000.