LeT-linked ultra, two aides held in Hyderabad for planning terror attacks

HYDERABAD: A 39-year-old man, Abdul Zahed, who was previously linked with terror activities, was arrested along with two of his associates for allegedly planning to carry out terror activities in the city.

The police, who were tipped off on his whereabouts, said that Zahed was in contact with conduits of Pakistan ISI and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), and conspired to carry out terror attacks, mostly as a lone wolf, in the city. Zahed was arrested along with Mohammed Sameeuddin and Maaz Hasan Farooq in Malakpet, and four hand grenades were recovered from their possession.

According to the police, Zahed had a hand in several past attacks in Hyderabad, particularly the attack on the Hyderabad City Police Commissioner Task Force office at Begumpet in 2005.

The police identified Zahed’s contacts as Farhatullah Ghori, Siddique Bin Osman and Abdul Majeed, all natives of Hyderabad, who are in Pakistan and working for the ISI.

They are wanted for recruiting local youth and radicalising them to execute terror attacks, including a blast near the Dilsukhnagar Sai Baba temple in 2002, the Ghatkopar bus blast, and attempting to cause blasts near the Secunderabad Ganesh temple in 2004, apart from the Task Force attack of 2005

The police said that the trio revived their contact with Zahed and financed him to recruit two others to hurl hand grenades at public gatherings in the city.