A special NIA court in Lucknow sentenced three operatives of Al Qaeda affiliate Ansar Ghazwatul Hind to life imprisonment for conspiring to wage war against the Indian government and planning terror attacks in Uttar Pradesh.
Seven terrorists, including terror outfit Ansar Ghazwatul Hind chief Imtiaz Ahmad Shah, were gunned down by security forces in two encounters in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian and Pulwama districts, police said on Friday.
Jammu and Kashmir police busted an interstate and trans-national terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad and Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, leading to the seizure of a large quantity of arms and explosives. The investigation involved arrests in multiple states and revealed the involvement of doctors and other individuals in the terror network.
Minhaz Ahmed and Maseeruddin, both residents of the city, were apprehended by the state police's Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and they were planning to 'unleash terror activities on August 15 (Independence Day) in different cities of the state', including Lucknow, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar told reporters.
The gunfight is going on and further details were awaited.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Arampora village in Awantipora area of the south Kashmir district this morning following specific intelligence about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.
Pakistan has launched new terror outfits staffed by cadres of the dreaded Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed under 'local names' to mislead the world that it has nothing to do with the terrorism prevalent in Jammu and Kashmir, Director General of Police (DGP) of the union territory Dilbag Singh said.