India's anti-terror agency said today (26) it had busted a local militant cell inspired by Daesh (the Islamic State group) that was planning to carryout bombings and target prominent political figures.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said 10 members of an obscure militant group "Harkat ul Harb-e-Islam" were arrested in multi-city raids and a further six suspects were being questioned over their alleged links with the outfit.
NIA spokesman Alok Mittal said arms and ammunition were recovered from the raids over 17 locations, including in the capital New Delhi, as the group prepped for striking several targets ahead of the high profile Republic Day national event on January 26.
"They were at an advanced stage of carrying a series of blasts," Mittal told reporters in New Delhi.
"They wanted to explode remote-controlled bombs and even conduct fidayeen (suicide) attacks."
Mittal said the group had attempted to make suicide vests and developed a home-made rocket launcher, adding the unknown mastermind of the module was based abroad.
One of the accused is an engineer, he said.
Authorities have previously claimed to have foiled similar IS-inspired cells but there is no evidence of the militant group's presence in the country.
India has largely remained insulated from Daesh influence, with only a handful of young men from the country joining the militant group that gained worldwide prominence after capturing large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
But India's security agencies have voiced concern over the radicalisation of men over the internet.
