Jaish, Al Qaeda Plot Republic Day Strikes; Agencies Hunt New Module

According to the information received by the Intelligence agencies, the same groups are planning a strike on the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that the attack was planned locally and the intention was to strike in multiple places, including Delhi and Ayodhya.

Security has been heightened in all these places, and major operations are underway to flush out those who are attached to these outfits.

The alert also comes against the backdrop of the police recently busting a Jaish-inspired module, which had managed to carry out a blast near the Red Fort in New Delhi.

Another official said that the Red Fort blast was initially intended to be carried out on Republic Day. However, it appears as though the bomber panicked and triggered the bomb prematurely.

The panic set in after the police busted the Faridabad module, during which over 2,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate were found.

Officials say that the Jaish is looking to go through with this plan, which it was unable to do earlier. The agencies are now looking for leads that could lead them to this module.

Further, the officials are also undertaking search operations that could lead them to the trail of the explosives that the module is planning on using to carry out the attacks.

The agencies have learnt that, like the Faridabad module, this one too has its origin in Jammu and Kashmir. The attacks could have been planned there, another official said.

Security agencies have also learnt that there is a lot of chatter online, and activities on social media have gone up considerably. In recent times, an account that goes by the name Falcon Squad, founded by the Kashmiri Resistance Group, has increased its online activities. This group, on its social media handles, has been inciting the youth. There is plenty of propaganda that has come up online.

An official said that the ISI is directly involved in this operation. To ensure that everything goes as planned, it has also roped in some cadres from Punjab for assistance.

The Khalistan network, which has been set up by the ISI in Punjab, is said to be helping the module orchestrate the blasts in Delhi and Ayodhya.

Another official said that the Khalistan terror groups and the Jaish have worked together in the past, and hence getting them together is not a big task for the ISI. Many of the terrorists of both groups train together in Pakistan, and the bonding has been strong for a very long time.

Officials say that the Khalistan groups are trying to help the Jaish-e-Mohammad with logistics.

Meanwhile, the agencies are keeping a close watch on the northeastern states and West Bengal.

The Intelligence agencies had last week picked up information about a plot that is brewing in Bangladesh that is aimed at targeting these states. Many members have been trained for these attacks, and they are trying to infiltrate into India through West Bengal. These groups are taking advantage of the fact that elections are around the corner in West Bengal and some northeastern states.

Further elections are scheduled to be held in February in Bangladesh, and these radical elements would try to indulge in some kind of misadventure, officials warn.

- IANS