Mastermind of Ayodhya attack killed, terror plots in country foile

Jammu, Aug 11 (UNI) Police today claimed to have foiled a major terror plot to launch strikes across the country on the eve of Independence Day by gunning down a top Jaish-e-Mohammad militant in an encounter at Janipur area of Jammu and Kashmir.

Inspector General of Police (IG) Dr S P Vaid, addressing mediapersons at Policy Control Room (PCR) complex here said, the slain militant -- Saifullah Qarri -- was coordinator and Operational Chief of the JeM and was also the mastermind behind the attack on Ram Janambhoomi temple at Ayodhya in July 2005.

He said acting on technical inputs from intelligence agencies about presence of three Pakistani militants including Qarri in the house of one Abdul Rehman in Ramzan Pura Mohalla under Janipur police station, a 14-member special team of Delhi police, along with a team of state police launched a search operation at 0200 hrs.

As the police party was tightening the cordon, the militants opened fire and a fierce encounter ensued in which Qarri was killed on the spot and another militant was injured, he said.

The injured militant, identified as Zaffar Iqbal alias Umar is a resident of Tradkhan, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

A Sub-Inspector of Delhi Police Devinder Singh also sustained bullet injury in his ankle in the encounter, Dr Vaid said.

The IG said the militants were living in the house for over a month and planning to execute terrorist attack on the eve of Independence Day in Jammu and other parts of the country.

One Chinese pistol, two Chinese grenades, one Satellite phone, seven mobile phones, four SIM cards, three Matrix sheets and Rs 30,000 in cash were seized from the militants.

Four people, including two women, and one person from Mendhar in Poonch district have been taken into custody for questioning, he added.

''It is our biggest success against Jaish-e-Mohammad in the recent times,'' the IG said adding, the police had been on the lookout for Qarri ever since it was known that he was the mind behind the audacious Ayodhya attack in which a six Jaish militants were killed and as many people, including four CRPF jawans injured.

Qarri, who had gone to Pakistan for some months before returning to the state, was responsible for all the terror plots of Jaish in Jammu and Kashmir and other part of the country, the IG said.

The police are also questioning the owners of the house where Qarri was hiding.

UNI