Delhi Police foil ISIS-linked Diwali terror plot, arrest two operatives

Delhi Police on Friday (October 24) said it has foiled a major terror attack planned for Diwali by arresting two suspected ISIS operatives who were allegedly preparing to carry out blasts at crowded spots in the national capital, including a popular south Delhi mall and a public park.

According to officials, both suspects—identified as Adnan, one from Delhi’s Sadiq Nagar and the other from Bhopal—were caught in coordinated operations across the two cities.

“The arrests have averted a possible terror attack in Delhi,” said Pramod Kushwaha, Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell). “They had conducted recce of several crowded places, including a mall in south Delhi and a park, where they planned to execute the strike.”

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Police said the operatives were targeting high-footfall areas during Diwali to cause maximum casualties. A video showing the accused pledging allegiance to ISIS, photos of potential targets, and a makeshift timer device were recovered.

The Delhi-based suspect was arrested first on October 16, leading to the second arrest in Bhopal. Officials said the Bhopal resident had previously come under watch for threatening an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official online over the Gyanvapi mosque survey.

The two were reportedly part of a larger ISIS-inspired network and undergoing training for “fidayeen” or suicide-style attacks. Electronic evidence indicates contact with foreign handlers, with the pair in the final stages of assembling an IED, sources said.

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A joint operation led by Additional Commissioner Kushwaha and ACP Lalit Mohan Negi was carried out based on specific intelligence inputs. Investigators are now probing possible links with Pakistan’s ISI and efforts by the duo to recruit others in Delhi and Bhopal.

“The preliminary investigation shows they were preparing for a major attack. Their plans were at an advanced stage,” an official said.

Police said the arrests prevented what could have been a devastating strike during the festive season. Interrogations and searches at multiple locations are underway.