*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI. India - August 8, 2009: Indian authorities arrested two suspected members of the outlawed Hizbul Mujahideen militant group who were allegedly planning attacks in the capital New Delhi, police said Friday.
Syed Salahuddin (L), head of the militant Hizbul Mujahideen collects the donation for the Kashmiri people during a public meeting to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day in Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistan-administered Kashmir on February 4, 2009. Around a dozen Kashmiri militant groups gathered publicly to urge Pakistan to lift bans against the Islamist organisation India blames for the Mumbai attacks and its political arm. "We appeal on the government of Pakistan to lift the ban against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) because no Kashmiri jihadi organisation was involved in the Mumbai attacks," Syed Salahuddin, head of the militant Hizbul Mujahideen, told the gathering of around 1,000 people.
The suspects, identified as Javed Ahmed and Ashiq Ali, were taken into custody in New Delhi on Thursday night, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.
"The two men are residents of Indian-administered Kashmir and had been trained in Pakistan by Hizbul Mujahideen," senior police official P.N. Aggarwal told reporters.
"They were planning militant attacks in New Delhi."
The Hizbul Mujahideen, the biggest militant group in disputed Kashmir, wants the region to become part of mainly Muslim Pakistan. India and Pakistan both rule the Muslim-majority Himalayan region in part but claim it in full.
The arrests came amid tightened security ahead of India's Independence Day on August 15 marking the country's independence from Britain in 1947.
Hundreds of extra police and paramilitary forces have been deployed across New Delhi following intelligence reports suggesting a series of possible attacks by Islamist groups.
"We were working in close coordination with intelligence agencies which ultimately resulted in the arrests," a senior police officer said.
The home ministry on Thursday issued a "high alert" in three cities including New Delhi.
Police said they had seized weapons, explosives and fake passports from the suspects.
India steps up security every year ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, especially in the capital and flashpoint areas such as Indian Kashmir where a separatist revolt has raged since 1989.
India has blamed Pakistan for repeated attacks on its soil, including last year's assault on Mumbai that left 166 dead.
It also accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants in Kashmir -- a charge Islamabad denies.
Syed Salahuddin (L), head of the militant Hizbul Mujahideen collects the donation for the Kashmiri people during a public meeting to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day in Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistan-administered Kashmir on February 4, 2009. Around a dozen Kashmiri militant groups gathered publicly to urge Pakistan to lift bans against the Islamist organisation India blames for the Mumbai attacks and its political arm. "We appeal on the government of Pakistan to lift the ban against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) because no Kashmiri jihadi organisation was involved in the Mumbai attacks," Syed Salahuddin, head of the militant Hizbul Mujahideen, told the gathering of around 1,000 people.
The suspects, identified as Javed Ahmed and Ashiq Ali, were taken into custody in New Delhi on Thursday night, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.
"The two men are residents of Indian-administered Kashmir and had been trained in Pakistan by Hizbul Mujahideen," senior police official P.N. Aggarwal told reporters.
"They were planning militant attacks in New Delhi."
The Hizbul Mujahideen, the biggest militant group in disputed Kashmir, wants the region to become part of mainly Muslim Pakistan. India and Pakistan both rule the Muslim-majority Himalayan region in part but claim it in full.
The arrests came amid tightened security ahead of India's Independence Day on August 15 marking the country's independence from Britain in 1947.
Hundreds of extra police and paramilitary forces have been deployed across New Delhi following intelligence reports suggesting a series of possible attacks by Islamist groups.
"We were working in close coordination with intelligence agencies which ultimately resulted in the arrests," a senior police officer said.
The home ministry on Thursday issued a "high alert" in three cities including New Delhi.
Police said they had seized weapons, explosives and fake passports from the suspects.
India steps up security every year ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, especially in the capital and flashpoint areas such as Indian Kashmir where a separatist revolt has raged since 1989.
India has blamed Pakistan for repeated attacks on its soil, including last year's assault on Mumbai that left 166 dead.
It also accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants in Kashmir -- a charge Islamabad denies.
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