2 suspected ISIS operatives plotting attack in S Delhi mall, park arrested

New Delhi: Two suspected ISIS operatives have been arrested from Delhi and Madhya Pradesh with police seizing explosive-making material including plastic bombs, Molotov cocktail, timer devices and an ISIS flag from a house in the national capital, officials said on Friday.

The accused, Mohammad Adnan Khan alias Abu Muharib (19) from Delhi and Adnan Khan alias Abu Mohammad (20) a resident of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, were allegedly planning to carry out a terror strike in a high-footfall area of the city, including in a mall in south Delhi and a public park, they said. “During a search of Md Adnan’s house in Sadiq Nagar, three mobile phones containing ISIS propaganda material, images and manuals detailing remote detonation systems and instructions on making plastic bombs along with Molotov cocktails were recovered,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said in a statement.

A pen drive, hard disks, an ISIS flag – the clothing used during his Bay’ah (pledge of allegiance), and a timer clock used in improvised explosive device (IED) was also recovered from his house, the statement added.

Police said the recovery exposed the duo’s advanced stage of preparation to carry out terror strikes in crowded areas of Delhi during the ongoing festive season.

The second accused, Adnan Khan was arrested in coordination with the Bhopal Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The two, police said, were allegedly running a social media network to spread ISIS propaganda and recruit youths by circulating edited “jihadi” videos.

“Raids were conducted at multiple locations in Delhi and Bhopal following specific intelligence,” the additional commissioner said, adding that their arrest prevented a major terror strike in Delhi during the festive season.

Special Cell had been keeping continuous watch on suspected ISIS operatives and their contacts, particularly in Delhi. Over time, police teams developed credible intelligence regarding an interstate module affiliated with ISIS. The group was found to be disseminating jihadi videos on social media.

The arrested accused were active on multiple social media platforms, to spread extremist content, recruiting sympathisers, and coordinating propaganda activities. Police said Adnan Khan had earlier been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh ATS under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2024 but had resumed terror-linked activity after securing bail. “The duo even began procuring materials for IEDs, based on instructions from their foreign handler. Based on a tip-off, a special cell raided Sadiq Nagar in South Delhi on October 16, where they detained Md Adnan on the road near his residence,” an officer said.

During interrogation, Md Adnan revealed that he was in regular contact with his Bhopal-based counterpart and both were acting under the guidance of a Syria-based ISIS handler, Abu Ibrahim al-Qureshi, the officer added.

He further admitted to recording a video of himself taking the Bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) to the ISIS Caliph, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, and sending it to his handler. The video was later recovered from a pen drive, police said.

Based on the leads from his interrogation, a coordinated operation was launched with the Madhya Pradesh Police and Bhopal ATS, which led to the arrest of Adnan Khan from Karond on October 18.

He admitted that he had been radicalised through online jihadi content and had earlier posted threatening material on social media, including a post targeting an additional sessions judge who had ordered a videographic survey of the Gyanvapi site. After being released on bail in the 2024 UP ATS case, Adnan Khan resumed extremist activities by creating multiple social media channels to post radical content and recruit followers.

“Under the handler’s directions, Adnan Khan selected extreme jihadi videos, which were edited by his Delhi-based counterpart with added soundtracks and provocative captions. These were then posted on newly created channels to attract and radicalise other youths,” Additional Commissioner Kushwaha said.

When their earlier channels were banned, the two created new ones with similar content, he added. Under the instructions of their handler, both started collecting materials required for manufacturing IEDs that were to be planted in crowded areas of Delhi. Police said Md Adnan hails from Etah in Uttar Pradesh and comes from a middle-class family. His father, Salim Khan, is a driver and his mother, Anjum Khan, is a homemaker. He has three older sisters and all are married.

After he completed his Class 10 in Etah, his family shifted to Delhi in 2002 following his father’s transfer. Md Adnan failed to clear his subsequent exams but completed a Diploma in Data Information Technology, they added. Adnan Khan also comes from a middle-class family from Karond in Bhopal and his father, Salam, works as an accountant for private firms, while his mother is a part-time actor. He completed Class 12 from Bhopal and was pursuing Chartered Accountancy under a mentor in Eidgah in Bhopal, police said. With agency inputs