Gujarat IS suspects remanded to police custody

AHMEDABAD: A local court on Monday remanded to 12-day police custody the two ISIS suspects arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Rajkot and Bhavnagar on Sunday.

Police said the two brothers — Wasim Ramodiya and Naeem Ramodiya — were learnt to be planning to conduct lone-wolf attacks in the state.

Wasim and Naeem, who hold MCA and BCA degrees, respectively, were said to be in contact with their IS handlers through social media. They were reportedly plotting to attack popular hilltop Chotila temple and other places in the state.

The judicial magistrate’s court granted the 12-day remand till March 10. Police sources claimed that the brothers confessed they intended to make bombs to carry out blasts in the Saurashtra region.

“We will now thoroughly interrogate them to get a complete picture, whether they were alone or in touch with any more youth from the state, where did they source material for building explosives and their detailed plans,” ATS Deputy Superintendent of Police R D Faldu said

The ATS had recovered 98 grams of gun powder, two face masks, a battery used for making bombs and about a dozen crude bombs from the two. Police also found eight issues of an IS magazine “Dabik” and videos of techniques for making bombs and conducting guerrilla warfare stored in their two laptops. — IANS