IS in India: Police kill suspected militant in shoot-out

IS in India: Police kill suspected militant in shoot-out
Indian police shot dead a suspected IS militant and arrested six people in connection with a train bombing in Lucknow on Tuesday.
2 min read
08 March, 2017
The bomb in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday injured six people [Twitter]
Indian police shot dead a suspected Islamic State group (IS) militant and uncovered a cache of bombs and weapons, in response to a train bombing two days previous.

Six other suspects were arrested in the raids in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in northern and central India.

The police released a series of photos after the shooting in Lucknow, allegedly showing the IS' plot details to bomb the train in Madhya Pradesh, adding that an investigation was underway to prove the man's connection to the group.

"We had received information that an [IS]-related group was being formed here and a suspect linked to it could be hiding here," said Aseem Arun, a member of India's anti-terror squad.

"When we entered the room, he fired upon us and we also retaliated. About four to five bullets hit him and then Saifullah died," he said, referring to the dead man's given name.

Police in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh arrested six people on terrorism charges related to the train bombing and are reportedly still searching for two of the dead man's associates.

An unnamed police spokesperson told One India "Saifullah" was being handled by a foreign agent.

Local media reports the discovery of bomb-making materials, eight automatic pistols and 650 cartridges.

The police operation is related to an explosion on the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train which injured six people on Tuesday.

The investigation into the dead terrorist suspect, "Saifullah", is ongoing and a police spokesperson said the extent of his involvement was currently uncertain.

"Given his involvement in the train blast incident in MP (Madhya Pradesh) ... and based on other inputs, he doesn't seem to be merely inspired by [IS]," said Rahul Srivastava, spokesman for the director general of police in Uttar Pradesh

The Times of India reported that the train bombing was the first ever IS attack on Indian soil.