Two suspected militants held in Mysore after shoot-out

Two suspected Pakistan-based militants, who were planning a major strike in Bangalore, were arrested after a shoot-out with the police in Mysore near here late on Thursday night.

The suspected militants, who had been identified as Mohammed Fahad and Ali Hussain, were planning to attack the Vikasa Soudha, the newly built building of Karnataka State Secretariat situated in Bangalore, Commissioner of Mysore City Police Pravin Sood told reporters.

The gunfight took place on the Outer Ring Road on the outskirts of Mysore, about 140 kms from here, late on Thursday night. Acting on a tip-off, a team of policemen intercepted two moped-borne youths. But, the youths opened fire, forcing the police to retaliate.

The suspected militants were carrying an AK 47 rifle, a pistol and several rounds of ammunition when they were arrested. “They were unable to fire from the AK 47 rifle. One of them fired at us from a pistol. We returned fire in self-defense. Eventually, we overpowered them”, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police Balakrishna, who was part of the police team.

Two policemen were injured in the shoot-out. “Two policemen and both the suspected militants have sufferred minor injuries during the skirmish”, he added. One of the militants was also in possession of a satellite phone.

After preliminary questioning, the suspected militants were taken to their hideout, a single-bedroom house located in Mysore in the early hours of Friday. A search of the premises revealed a Pakistani passport in the name of Mohammed Fahad, letterheads of Al Badr Mujahideen, a lap top, several CDs and sketches of the Vikasa Soudha and the adjoining Vidhana Soudha buildings, besides chemicals used for making improvised explosive devices (IED).

“They militants are linked to Pakistan-based terror outfit Al-Badr and were here on a definite plan”, Sood said. “One of them is chemical engineer with a MSc from the University of Karachi. They had carried out a comprehensive survey of Vikasa Soudha in Bangalore and were planning to attack it”.

Meanwhile, Director General of Karnataka Police B S Sial addressed in press conference in Bangalore and claimed that the two suspected militants had taken shelter in Mysore for the last four to five months. “While one of them had come to Mysore via Mumbai on a valid visa, the police is interrogating how the other entered the country”, Sial said.
The duo had even set up a fancy store in Mysore and used it as a front for their operations, the Director General of Police added.

Thursday night’s dramatic encounter between the police and suspected terrorists in Mysore comes less than a year after the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore came under attack from militants. A professor lost his life after a terrorist fired indiscriminately in the IISc premises during December 2005.