Intelligence sources revealed two Jaish-e-Muhammed terrorists had made their way into the Capital, in a bid to attack at least four places including the Taj Mahal, last year. They said the two persons rented a room in Lajpat Nagar, assembled six improvised explosive devices, and recced at four different places.
A highly placed media source informed the IEDs were specially prepared using ingredients like shampoo. Preparations were made to the T, with a control rool set up in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and instructions being passed on by the handler. The mastermind was not verified, only known to be codenamed MAR. In good fortune for the country, a dry run before the actual attack saw an IED leak while being detonated in the bathroom. The incident sent a thick cloud of smoke in the building, and prompted panic among the alleged terrorists. The men are said to have fled, and taken a return flight to Kabul.
Things turned in favour for Indian officials, as they launched a crackdown on four Jaish terrorists neutralised in the attack on the Indian consulate. They wrote about the planned 2015 strike being a a revenge for Afzal Guru, executed for his part in the Parliament attack of 2000. Two months later, Kabul police arrested two Jaish operatives named Ahmad Khan Durrani, an Afghan national, and Abdul Qadri, a Pakistani, recovering explosives and ammunitions from them. Their travel details linked them to the claims and the Indian consulate and intelligence was informed.
A six member team was sent to Kabul, for interrogation. The duo told they were asked to prepare special IEDs which would spread fire rapidly along with the explosion to cause maximum damage. They made it from normal crackers bought from Jama Masjid, Pantene shampoo, wire, watch, and other stuff bought from Lajpai Rai Market on December 5. Their route was tracked including the taxi driver they hired. It was also found that they had got themselves verified from the local police station.
