Five suspected terrorists were arrested in Bengaluru today by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) for allegedly planning a terror attack in the Karnataka capital.
The police are on the lookout for another suspect, Junaid, from Bengaluru’s RT Nagar area, whose current whereabouts are unknown, however, according to the police, the man is believed to be settled abroad and is the mastermind behind providing arms and explosives to the five arrested.
The five in custody — Suhail, Omar, Zahid, Mudasir and Faisal — all from Bengaluru and aged between 25 and 35, were previously arrested in 2017 and were in jail for 18 months in connection with a murder case before being released in 2019.
The CCB has also seized explosive materials from the suspects’ possession. They were also carrying guns and daggers.
During questioning, the suspects disclosed that they had been in contact with T Nazeer, a terror accused who is currently lodged in Bengaluru Central Jail (Parapanna Agrahara).
According to Bengaluru Police Commissioner Dayanand B, the five were radicalised by Nazeer.
The accused, along with another person abroad were part of a 2017 murder case. The one abroad supplied them with weapons to carry out terror activities, Mr Dayanand said.
The senior police officer added that the Bengaluru Police is coordinating with central agencies to track down Junaid.
The alleged radicalisation of prisoners in Karnataka has raised concerns that these correctional facilities may be breeding grounds for terrorists.
Nazeer is accused in the 2008 serial blast case in Bengaluru. In another case, Mohammad Shariq, the key accused in the cooker blast case that took place in Mangaluru last year, is believed to have been radicalised in Belagavi prison by another terror accused who was arrested in connection with the Hyderabad bomb blast case.
