9 Including 17-Year-Old Arrested In Maharashtra For Alleged Links To ISIS

Ahead of Republic Day, the Maharashtra Anti Terror Squad arrested nine suspects including a teenager for alleged terror links from Maharashtra's Mumbra, Thane and Aurangabad on Tuesday. All of them are allegedly linked to the ISIS terror group, the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has alleged.

The Maharashtra ATS was investigating the presence of sleeper cells in the state ahead of Republic Day.

Based on "reliable" intelligence inputs, the ATS sleuths gathered "relevant information about them" and started trailing the nine "for several weeks."

"The group was likely to swing into action", when the ATS formed about a dozen teams and simultaneously carried out raids at five different locations in Mumbra, Thane and Aurangabad last night.

Chemicals, explosives, mobile phones, hard drives, SIM cards, acid bottles and sharp knives have been found during the raids.

The investigators have not revealed the names of the nine arrested but have given their age and the locations from where they were arrested.

Two men between 20 and 25 years have been held at Kaisar Colony in Aauranagabd. A 35-year-old was arrested from Damadi Mahal in Auranagabad and another 25-year-old was picked up from Rahat Colony, also in Auranagabad. A fifth person was arrested from Amrutnagar in Mumbra. Four others, in their 20s, were also arrested from Mumbra. The teenager was held from Thane.

The terror suspects have been arrested for criminal conspiracy and unlawful activities.

A year ago, in November 2017, Abu Zaid, was arrested just as he landed at the Mumbai airport from Saudi Arabia. Abu was part of an ISIS module that was planning an attack in India, said the ATS, but was busted before they could raise the money for it. He is part of an ISIS module that was uncovered by the ATS of the Uttar Pradesh police earlier.