Lucknow: Terror who was arrested accused Minaz and Masiruddin had claimed to have been related to Umar Halmandi, Head of Ansar Ghazwat-Ul-Hind (Aguh), the unit helped Al Qaeda.
Halmandi, according to investigators, operates from the Pakistani-Afghan border.
The defendant, who was in police custody, told investigators that Halmandi had asked them to identify crowded areas in the state where the explosion could cause maximum damage.
Minaz and Masurddin have been identified as Operative Aguh and arrested by ATS on July 11 from Lucknow.
Inspector General ATS Gajendra Kumar Goswamy told TOI so far it seems that the defendant only interacts with Halmandi.
“But we have worries that more people are involved in radicals and recruit people to carry out subversive activities.” Goswamy further said that “ATS wants to reach the bottom of the chain and the network formed by Aguh in the country.” Another ATS officer said that questioning with the defendant revealed that Minaz and Masiruddin planned to buy another gun from a different group of people.
“The group is also under the scanner,” he said, adding that three Shakeel, Mustaquim and Moid, who was arrested for giving firearms and explosives to Minaz and Masiruddin, would also be faced with the last on Sunday.
Sources in ATS said that when the Duo arrested Minaz and Masiruddin were faced about Tauheed and Moosa from Jammu and Kashmir separately, they gave a different answer.