Major Terror Attack Averted as Is Module Busted by Delhi Police

The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Adnan Khan alias Abu Muharib, 19, from Delhi, and Adnan Khan alias Abu Mohammad, 20, from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Police said the duo was planning terror attacks in high-footfall areas, including a mall in South Delhi and a public park.

“During a search of Md. Adnan’s residence in Sadiq Nagar, three mobile phones containing ISIS propaganda material, images, and manuals on bomb-making, as well as Molotov cocktail instructions, were recovered,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah.

A pen drive, hard disks, an ISIS flag, clothing used during his Bay’ah (pledge of allegiance), and a timer clock used in an improvised explosive device (IED) were also seized. Police said the recovery revealed the duo’s advanced stage of preparation for attacks during the ongoing festive season.

The second accused, Adnan Khan from Bhopal, was arrested in coordination with the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). According to police, the two were running social media networks to spread ISIS propaganda, recruit youth, and circulate edited jihadi videos. Both were active across multiple social media platforms to spread extremist content and recruit sympathisers.

The Special Cell had been tracking suspected ISIS operatives and developed intelligence on an inter-state module affiliated with the organisation. Police revealed that Adnan Khan had previously been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh ATS under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in 2024 but resumed terror-linked activities after securing bail.

“The duo began procuring materials for IEDs under instructions from their handler in Syria. Acting on a tip-off, the Special Cell raided Sadiq Nagar in South Delhi on October 16 and detained Md. Adnan near his residence,” an officer said.

During interrogation, Md. Adnan disclosed that he was in regular contact with his Bhopal-based associate and both were acting under the guidance of a Syria-based handler, Abu Ibrahim al-Qureshi. He admitted to recording a video pledging allegiance to ISIS chief Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and sending it to his handler. The video was later recovered from a pen drive.

Following his interrogation, a coordinated operation with the Madhya Pradesh Police and Bhopal ATS led to the arrest of Adnan Khan from Karond on October 18. He confessed to being radicalised through online jihadi content and had earlier posted threatening messages on social media, including one targeting a judge involved in the Gyanvapi site survey case.

After his release on bail in 2024, he resumed extremist activities by creating multiple social media channels to post radical material and recruit followers. “Under their handler’s instructions, Adnan Khan selected jihadi videos, which were edited by his Delhi counterpart with soundtracks and provocative captions, and posted on new channels to radicalise youth,” said Kushwah.

When their earlier channels were banned, the duo created new ones with similar content and began collecting materials for IEDs to plant in crowded areas of Delhi.

Md. Adnan, originally from Etah, Uttar Pradesh, is the son of a driver, Salim Khan, and homemaker Anjum Khan. He has three married sisters and holds a diploma in Data Information Technology.

Abu Mohammad, from Bhopal, comes from a middle-class family. His father, Salam Khan, works as an accountant, and his mother has acted in local productions. He attended a madrassa between ages 6 and 10 and was pursuing Chartered Accountancy before being radicalised by extremist content, particularly after 2020.