Gujarat ATS arrests 2 men for alleged IS links

Gujarat’s Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested two persons, claiming they are associated with the Islamic State (IS) group and were on a mission to carry out “serial blasts to target some religious place in the State.”

The duo was identified as Waseem and Naeem Ramodiya. While Waseem was arrested from Rajkot, his brother was arrested from Bhavnagar.

According to ATS Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) K.K. Patel, the two were under the squad’s watch for more than a year. He claimed that they were allegedly in contact with IS operatives overseas through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Telegram, an encrypted messaging app.

The police have also recovered “bomb-making material” including crude bombs, gun powder, Jihadi literature, masks and several mobile phones from them saying they were about to execute their plan in next few days.

“They were prepared with all material to make bombs and had planned to carry out blasts at religious places in the next few days,” Mr. Patel said, adding the prompt action by the police had averted a major putative terror attack in the State.