Two suspected Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, who were arrested in Delhi, had met the outfit's chief Syed Salahuddin in terrorist training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir where he asked them to carry out terror strikes in India, police claimed on Friday.
Javed Ahmed Tantray and Ashiq Ali Bhatt, the alleged militants belonging to Jammu and Kashmir who were remanded to police custody till August 17 by a court on Friday following their arrest from central Delhi's Daryaganj at around 11 pm on Thursday night, had met Salahuddin several times after their first introduction in 2003.
"(A few months back) Salahuddin told them that they will be given some important assignment in India in near future," Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell)
P N Aggarwal told media persons in Delhi.
The arrests came hours after the government made public intelligence inputs about possible terror strikes in three cities -- Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata -- ahead of Independence Day celebrations.
According to Aggarwal, the arrested men got their arms training in terror camps in Boi and Mansura in PoK.
"Ali and Ahmed had met Salahuddin several times. A few months back, Salahuddin and Hizb Deputy Commander Khalid Saifulla met them in their camps and told that they will be tasked with some important assignment in India in near future."
"After around 15 days, Shahid, their Hizb contact, told them to get ready to leave for India," Aggarwal said.
Photograph: Stringer/Reuters