Delhi, J&K police arrest 3 men with suspected ‘ISIS link’ in Srinagar

A special cell of the Delhi Police, in a joint operation with the Jammu and Kashmir Police, on Saturday arrested from Kothibagh in Srinagar three men allegedly belonging to the Islamic State Jammu & Kashmir (IS-JK), a terror module “inspired” by the ISIS (Islamic State).

At a press conference here on Sunday evening, a senior Delhi police officer said one of the three arrested men had a university degree from Delhi.

Three hand grenades, two pistols and an ISIS flag were recovered from the three men, whom the police suspect of planning a terror strike in Delhi with “local contacts”, the police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Pramod Kushwah said the special operations group of the J&K police and the special cell had received inputs about a militant hideout in an apple orchard near Kothibagh.

“They were spotted near the tourist centre on Saturday evening. The moment police teams tried to approach them, one of them pulled out a hand grenade and tried to throw it at our teams. However, he was strategically pinned down and the other two were also caught. They were identified as Tahir Ali Khan from Tral, Haris Mushtaq Khan, a native of Budgam, and one Asif Suhail Nadaf,” Kushwah said.

Haris, 24, has a postgraduate degree in international studies from a Delhi-based university, while Tahir, 18, finished school this year. Nadaf was previously arrested in 2016 for stone pelting and was allegedly introduced to active militants by Omar Ibn Nazir, now dead.

A case of unlawful activities has been registered against the three by J&K police and they are investigating the case further.

A SENIOR DELHI POLICE OFFICER SAID ONE OF THE THREE ARRESTED MEN HAD A UNIVERSITY DEGREE FROM DELHI