Nineteen years later, remembering how terror struck Mumbai's lifeline on July 11, 2006.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said two major terror modules were busted in the state in a "nationally coordinated operation".
The Indian Air Force conducted precision strikes on terror hideouts in Pakistan, targeting a Jaish-e-Mohammad communication network housed in a primary health centre in Tehra Kalan village. The communication setup was essential for planning and coordinating activities with infiltrated terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. The strikes aim to dismantle the communication network and hinder the terrorists' ability to operate.
The sources claimed that one of those arrested is believed to be Arsh Dalla, who is associated with the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and ran terror modules on behalf of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist who was killed in June last year.
The arrested person was identified as Mohammad Shahnawaz Alam, a resident of Hazaribagh area of Jharkhand.
The newly-busted terror module which was allegedly planning a spate of assassinations in various parts of the country was inspired by Anwar Alwaki, the deceased leader of the Al Qaeda.
The spotlight is on Hubli -- the commercial capital of northern Karnataka -- where a major terror module that was planning the assassinations of several high-profile personalities was recently busted. Five of the terror suspects arrested by the Bangalore police in connection with the plot are from Hubli.
The NIA had originally chargesheeted three persons in March 2023 and filed its supplementary chargesheet before the special court at Patiala House in New Delhi on Monday against 17 others, of whom 15 are from Maharashtra and one each from Uttarakhand and Haryana, it said.
The 4000-page chargesheet, which was filed in the court of special NIA judge AK Lahoti, has 16 protected witnesses.
In a strong retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre, India's armed forces early Wednesday destroyed nine terror sites including that of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) using deep strike missiles in a 25-minute-long 'measured and non-escalatory' mission.
Among the seizures made are three active hand grenades, two active detonators, one foreign-made pistol and 13 cartridges of foreign make, the officer said.
According to the release of ATS, banned ISIS literature, mobile phones, and pen drives were seized from the accused.
Mumbai police and Maharashtra ATS officials on Tuesday questioned the family members of terror suspect Jaan Mohammad Shaikh, arrested for allegedly being part of a Pakistan-organised module, and searched his home in Mumbai, police said.
The dastardly dimensions of the attack are gradually sinking in even as the Government of India announced its immediate diplomatic and other retaliatory measures. It is generally expected to be followed up with punitive military action across the LoC, sooner than later, observes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
Terror operations can never succeed without the support of a local module. According to Intelligence Bureau officials, there is a need to dig deeper into the role played by such modules.
What about Uttar Pradesh Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat and Bihar? Mamata asked.
The Jammu and Kashmir police arrested a Lashker-e-Tayiba terror module comprising six persons who were tasked to burn down religious shrines, raising suspicion that the famous Dastageer Saheb shrine could have been set on fire by the same group.
According to the FIR, some Delhi-based individuals were receiving funds from FIF operatives based abroad and were using it for terror activities.
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa enumerates the 5 deadly modules created by the Indian Mujahideen and what their strengths and goals are
It was also revealed that Bashir motivated two youngsters and made them to join the terrorist ranks.
The accused have been identified as Rajpreet Singh, Virender Singh, Sachin Bhati, Arpit Dhankar and Susheel Pradhan, the police said.
The module was also planning to carry out targeted killings in India and was in the advanced stage of procuring arms, including automatic rifles and pistols, ammunition and explosives to carry out the attacks, he said.
The official said digital devices seized from the house during the search are being examined and further investigations are in progress.
Six months after their successful commando operation in Mumbai, the National Security Guard is training its personnel on new modules to hone their urban warfare and specialised operational skills to thwart terror attacks in future.
The Popular Front of India (PFI) has been extensively using social media for recruiting youths for anti-national activities and one of the modules of the now-banned outfit even had prepared to attack foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakkanal, a hill station in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
Terming the two recent blasts in Mumbai and Delhi as a "blot" on the government's record, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday said that many homegrown modules are active across the country and several of them have acquired the capacity to make bombs.
In a notification, the Union home ministry said Brar, backed by a Pakistan-based agency, has been involved in multiple killings and professes radical ideology.
The Delhi police has arrested an alleged member of Lashkar-e-Tayiba module operating in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara, officials said on Tuesday.
Vicky Nanjappa discusses the enormous security threat that fringe groups pose and why it's extremely difficult to track and tackle this new terror phenomenon.
Landa currently resides in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta in Canada, and is a member of Babbar Khalsa International.
Investigators probing the terror module busted in Karnataka have claimed that the arrested 11 youths were inspired by the contents of an online magazine which glorifies activities of the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has busted an Al Qaeda module and arrested four members who hail from Bangladesh but have been living illegally in Ahmedabad, an official said on Monday.
With his arrest, the three-member terror module has been wiped out within days of the attack.
The NIA sleuths also recovered weapons, ammunition, urea, acid, some chemicals, electronic gadgets and other incriminating material besides Rs 15 lakh in cash from their possession, officials of the NIA and Hyderabad Police said, adding the youths were working at the behest of IS handlers.
The arrest of Yasin Bhatkal comes as a huge relief to the Bihar police, who expect to now crackdown down on active terror units in the state, reports Vicky Nanjappa.
Shah said there is a need to not only combat terrorism but also dismantle its entire ecosystem, and for this "we must work with the spirit of the whole of government and Team India".
Indian investigators are looking into a relatively new terror module known as the Bullet 313 brigade. It is evident that the name of the outfit has been inspired by the Ilyas Kashmiri led 313 brigade of the Al Qaeda. Indian Mujahideen, the terror outfit suspected to be behind the Mumbai serial blasts, was formed four years ago. Investigators initially suspected that it was an offshoot of the Students Islamic Movement of India, which was merely using a new name.
Police on Thursday arrested a former India Air Force employee who they believe is the "mastermind" of a terror module that included Saifullah, a suspected terrorist killed in an encounter on Wednesday.
The explosion in a moving autorickshaw in Mangaluru was an 'act of terror,' Karnataka Director General of Police, Praveen Sood said on Sunday.
The raids were conducted at the premises of suspects in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, Gir Somnath district of Gujarat, Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh and Kozhikode district of Kerala, leading to the seizure of incriminating documents and digital devices, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.
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