IS inspired Hyderabad module planned to target police stations

Among the list of targets set up by the Hyderabad module to attack in the name of Islamic State, were police stations located in the city of Hyderabad. Officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) who arrested five suspects last week, said they found an app on the mobile phone of the main leader, with a map that had pinned the locations of police stations.

Investigators believe the pinned locations are targets where the suspects planned to plant bombs and launch spectacular attacks on the state institution. While the targets were selected by the module, Ibrahim Yazdani, the alleged leader has told investigators, that he was informed by the handler to use an explosive called Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) to make the attacks. The handler, reportedly Indian fighter with IS Shafi Armar, encouraged the Hyderabadi men to use TATP, a preferred choice for explosive as it is easy to make and light to carry, was used in the IS's Paris attack.

According to the NIA, Ibrahim was inspired towards IS ideology after he came in contact with a Jordanian national Suhaib-al-Aboudi in Saudi Arabia. An electrical engineer, Ibrahim was working in Saudi Arabia for three years, doing miscellaneous jobs. Suhaib travelled to Syria to join IS and died in fighting. Inspired by him, Ibrahim too decided to go to Syria, not alone but with his family. This was in July 2015, when he left his employment and returned back to India.

"He planned to relocate to the Caliphate established by the Islamic State group in Raqqa, Syria with his wife, small child and brother Ilyas,'' said a senior NIA official. The heightened surveillance on travelers to Turkey, led Ibrahim to choose Greece as the destination to arrive continue the journey to Turkey and Syria from there on. Refugees from Iraq and Syria, have used this route to enter Europe to claim asylum.

The visa was however rejected twice by the Greek embassy. Later Ibrahim attempted to enroll in a University in Turkey for post graduation, for which he was accepted but dropped the plan as it was logistically expensive.

Ibrahim, his brother Ilyas, Habib Mohd, Mohammad Irfan, Abdullah Bin Ahmad, were arrested for terrorists activities related to IS. Officials said that each member was assigned a role and portfolio to carry out attacks. The five had also signed an allegiance pledge to the IS and emailed it to their handler and believed that they were acting in the name of IS.

Police has recovered air guns, pellets, a 9 mm pistol and chemicals from the suspects. Barrister and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi who has offered legal aid to the suspects, told dna that the NIA should take steps to file charge-sheet once the police custody is over. "If the NIA has strong evidence against the five suspects, they should produce it in the court and ensure that trial starts soon. Such cases otherwise tend to drag, after initial publicity and the suspects languish in jail for years before the trial can start.''

Explosive TATP easy to make

Investigators believe the pinned locations are targets where the suspects planned to plant bombs and launch spectacular attacks on the state institution. While the targets were selected by the module, Ibrahim Yazdani, the alleged leader has told investigators, that he was informed by the handler to use an explosive called Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) to make the attacks. The handler, reportedly Indian fighter with IS Shafi Armar, encouraged the Hyderabadi men to use TATP, a preferred choice for explosive as it is easy to make and light to carry, was used in the IS's Paris attack.