Indian police nab militants carrying explosives

INDIA: Indian police Monday arrested two suspected Islamic militants armed with explosives as they stepped off a train in New Delhi, amid tight security in the capital ahead of a major Hindu holiday.

The two men were identified as members of the pro-Pakistan militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, blamed for market attacks here a year ago and the July train bombings in Mumbai, deputy commissioner of Delhi police Alok Kumar told AFP.

Kumar said the Bangladeshi nationals, Mohammed Aslam Gir and Abdul Razaq, were carrying 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of RDX high-grade explosives - the type used in a string of previous attacks in India. "They boarded the train in Jammu (the winter capital of Indian Kashmir) and were arrested when they got off in Delhi early this morning," Kumar said. "We made the arrest based on an intelligence tip-off. We are in the process of interrogating them and then we will get more details."

Lashkar-e-Taiba, one of several groups battling Indian rule in Kashmir, was blamed for the October 29, 2005 triple bomb attacks in New Delhi, just ahead of the Diwali festival.

Those attacks killed 66 and injured at least 200 others. The group was also blamed for the July 11 commuter train attacks in Mumbai this year that killed 186 people and injured 800.

New Delhi, Monday, AFP