Delhi Police on Friday said it has foiled a major terror attack planned for Diwali, arresting two suspected ISIS operatives who were allegedly preparing to carry out blasts in a high-footfall area of the national capital, including a popular south Delhi mall and a public park.
According to officials, the two men, both named Adnan, were arrested following coordinated operations in Delhi and Bhopal. One of them hails from Delhi’s Sadiq Nagar, while the other is from Madhya Pradesh’s capital.
“The arrests have averted a possible terror attack in Delhi,” said Pramod Kushwaha, additional commissioner of Police (Special Cell), during a press conference. “They had conducted recce of several crowded places, including a mall in south Delhi and a park, where they planned to execute the strike.”
Planned strike on Diwali
Investigators said the operatives were targeting locations that would be crowded during Diwali celebrations, aiming to cause maximum casualties. Police recovered a video of the accused pledging allegiance to ISIS, along with photographs of potential target sites in Delhi.
A makeshift timer device – a watch being used as an improvised timer for an explosive – was also seized, along with images of places from where they intended to procure components to assemble an improvised explosive device (IED).
Timeline of arrests
The Delhi-based suspect was apprehended first on October 16 from Sadiq Nagar. Acting on leads from his interrogation, the second Adnan was later arrested from Bhopal.
Officials said the Bhopal resident had earlier come under scrutiny after allegedly threatening an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official on social media over the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque.
ISIS module busted
Police said the arrests were part of a broader operation that has led to the busting of an ISIS-inspired module operating across multiple states. Both suspects were reportedly undergoing training for “fidayeen” or suicide-style attacks, according to news agency ANI.
Electronic devices and other incriminating material recovered from them suggest the duo had been in contact with foreign handlers and were in the final stages of preparing an IED-based attack, police sources said.
A senior officer told PTI that the operation was based on specific intelligence inputs and was conducted jointly by teams led by Additional Commissioner Pramod Kushwaha and ACP Lalit Mohan Negi.
Probe into wider network
Investigators are now probing whether the suspects had links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has previously been accused of supporting such ISIS-affiliated networks. “We are investigating the wider network and their possible international connections,” said a police source.
The Special Cell believes the two were radicalised online and may have received logistical support from handlers abroad. Agencies are also verifying whether the duo had attempted to recruit others in Delhi or Bhopal.
Police said the arrests had prevented what could have been a devastating terror strike during the festive season. “The preliminary investigation shows they were preparing for a major attack. Their plans were at an advanced stage,” an official said.
The interrogation of the two suspects continues as investigators work to trace other possible members of the network. Searches are underway at several locations linked to the duo, officials added.
