Thaindian News

Bangalore, Aug 30 (IANS) Eleven people planning to assassinate leading Karnataka politicians, some journalists and Hindu leaders on the ordrs of Pakistan-based terror outfits have been arrested in Karnataka, a police officer said Thursday.

The arrested men were plotting to assassinate “very important personalities in Karnataka. With their arrests, a major catastrophe has been averted in Karnataka”, state police chief Lalrokhuma Pachau said.

The 11, six from Bangalore and five from Hubli, were “handled” by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul Jehad-e-Islami (Huji) operators based in Saudi Arabia, Bangalore Police Commissioner B.G. Jyothiprakash Mirji said at the joint press meet. Hubli is about 450 km from Bangalore.

The 11 were arrested late Wednesday after keeping a tab on them for two to three months, Mirji said. All of them are in their late 20s or early 30s.

Arms, including a foreign made 7.65 mm pistol, and several rounds of ammunition have been seized from the arrested men in Bangalore, he said.

Except for the names and age of the arrested, he did not give any other detail about them saying it would hamper investigations.

Mirji also declined to confirm whether one of the arrested was a journalist with a Bangalore-based English daily.

Residents of Jayachamarajendra Nagar in north Bangalore from where the six were arrested told reporters earlier in the day that one of them was a reporter.

The arrested have been charged with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups, attempt to murder and theft and aoso booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Arms Act.