Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives planning to kill 22 top leaders including Indian PM Narendra Modi arrested

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested on Monday by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Madurai in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The three were allegedly planning to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 22 top leaders of India, police said.

Those arrested were identified as M Khareem, Asif Sultan Mohammed and Abbas Ali, PTI reported.

While Khareem was arrested from Usmannagar, Asif Sultan Mohammed was picked up from GR Nagar and Abbas Ali from Ismailpuram, police said.

Police said NIA raided several places on specific information that suspected Al-Qaeda activists were operating from South Tamil Nadu in and around Madurai. “Explosive materials and arms have been seized from them,” police said.

NIA is searching for two other suspected Al-Qaeda operatives, Hakeem and Dawood Sulaiman.

(WION with inputs from PTI)