Security at Chabad House, which was targeted in previous deadly attack in 2008, has been “beefed up,” Indian authorities said.
By World Israel News Staff
Indian anti-terror police arrested two Islamic terrorists plotting to attack a Chabad house in a Mumbai neighborhood 15 years after a terror attack at the center left six people dead.
Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan, 23, and Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki, 24, were arrested by anti-terror forces on Sunday in the city of Pune, which is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of Mumbai.
Indian media reported that the suspects were likely linked to Pakistan-based terror groups; according to Israel’s Channel 12 News, the plot may have been sponsored by Iran.
The men are believed to have been plotting to attack the Chabad House. A raid of their living quarters and electronic devices revealed what authorities said was a sophisticated plan to bomb the center.
“The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) found [the terrorists were in possession of] some Google images…of Chabad House located at Colaba,” a police officer told the Hindustan Times.
“Accordingly, we have beefed up the security at Chabad House, which already has very high security. A mock drill was also carried out on Thursday at the center and outside area,” he added.
“The ATS found the accused had been trained in various methods of sabotage,” another officer told the Hindustan Times.
“A white explosive substance, recovered from the rented flat of the two suspects, was used for bomb explosion tests in isolated places in Pune, Satara and Kolhapur districts,” the officer said.
When requesting that the suspects’ detention be extended, the officer told the court that authorities had seized “Google images of [the Chabad house in] Colaba, details of their plan and required execution and the action.”
In 2008, the Mumbai Chabad House’s director Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were among those killed by a Pakistani Islamic terror group at the site.