Terrorist Attacks in Lucknow (City of Nawab's)

Lucknow Terror Suspect Refuses To Surrender, Sources Talk Of ISIS Cell

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Major anti-terror operation in Lucknow
2. Armed terror suspect hiding in house on city's outskirts
3. Police sources talk of ISIS cell, one man arrested in Kanpur

LUCKNOW: Hours after an explosion on a train in Madhya Pradesh injured nine people, across the border in Uttar Pradesh, anti-terror commandos are trying to capture alive a terror suspect in a house in Thakurganj, on the outskirts of Lucknow. A man has been arrested in Kanpur, and three others have been caught in Madhya Pradesh, whose government said the arrests in the two states are linked. Police sources in Uttar Pradesh, which concludes seven days of voting tomorrow, spoke of an ISIS cell, but did not elaborate.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has been briefed about the operation in Lucknow, described by police sources "as very restrained." The suspect is heavily armed, said sources; gunshots are being heard intermittently. Grenades have been lobbed to try and smoke him out of the safe-house. The "operation is likely to get over in a few hours," said senior police officer Daljit Choudhary, who has been briefing reporters during the operation.

CCTV footage near the place where the explosion took place on a train in Madhya Pradesh helped the police there to identify suspects. Senior police officer Makrand Devaskar confirmed the explosion on the train running between Ujjain and Bhopal was a terror attack, said news agency ANI.

The suspects seen on CCTV footage getting out of a bus

Sources said central intelligence agencies alerted the Uttar Pradesh police to the alleged terrorists' locations. The Lucknow neighbourhood of Thakurganj, which is residential, has been cordoned off and at least 20 commandos are involved in the operation, said police sources. "The suspect came from outside the state," said Mr Chaudhary, adding that the terror suspect "has refused to surrender."