IS militant shot dead in India after long siege

After an almost 12-hour terror siege in the city of Lucknow in India’s Uttar Pradesh, police gunned down an IS terrorist early Wednesday. The terrorist has been identified as Mohammed Saiful, alias Saifullah, belonging to the Khorasan module of IS. The siege began on Tuesday evening only hours after the first ever IS attack in India occurred on a passenger train in Madhya Pradesh. The train blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain Express did not cause any fatalities but ten people were injured, reports the Times of India. Following the morning train blast, police intercepted a bus in Madhya Pradesh in the afternoon and detained three suspects in connection with the blast. Based on the information elicited from the suspects, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) carried out raids in three cities. The last operation, which took place in the Thakurganj area of Lucknow, turned into a nearly 12-hour siege as terrorist Saifullah refused to surrender. According to the International Business Times Indian edition, The ATS wanted to capture Saifullah alive and used various methods including chilli bombs to try and smoke him out. Saifullah was even allowed to speak to his brother who tried to convince him to surrender. The Times of India reports that a total of eight IS members have been arrested so far. Indian intelligence believes that the terrorists are part of the Khorasan module of IS, Khorasan being a historical region that covers parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. Aseem Arun, inspector general of ATS attested that Saifullah also “belongs to the Khorasan module of the [IS] and was an active member.” He further added that eight pistols, 650 rounds of ammunition, 50 fired rounds, explosive materials, gold, cash, passports and SIM cards were recovered from the room where Saifullah was holed up.