Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh):The Uttar Pradesh Police had apprehended terrorists - Minhaz and Maseeruddin alias Musheer from Kakori area of the capital Lucknow, for allegedly having links to the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind on Wednesday. Prashant Kumar, UP Police ADG (Law and Order), in a presser stated that the accused had plotted a conspiracy in the capital and had carried out a recce of the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Setu Mandir, located near Lucknow University and in the crowded areas of Mangal Bazar in Alambagh area in January. Two Al Qaeda commanders Tauheed and Musa were also set to join them from Kashmir to implement the plan, the ADG said, adding that the accused planned to carry out the attack, post Friday prayers, in Lucknow, for which the date and time of the blast would have been fixed.
According to ADG Law and Order, Minhaj and Musheer, who were arrested by the UP ATS, were in direct contact with Tauheed and Musa, two commanders of Al Qaeda organization based in Jammu and Kashmir. Also all the information from Lucknow was being shared with the Al Qaeda commanders, the police official added saying that Minhaj had entrusted Musheer with the responsibility to blast an e-rickshaw, using a pressure cooker bomb. The ADG further said that the cooker bomb was made by Minhaj and had to be connected to the battery of the e-rickshaw and their plans were to explode it in a crowded market place, so that maximum number of people could be targeted.
Read:Uttar Pradesh ATS arrests two Al Qaeda terrorists from Kakori