Russia detains ISIS terrorist plotting suicide attack against Indian elite: Russian media
Moscow (PTI): An Islamic State terrorist from a Central Asian country, who was plotting a suicide attack against a member of India's leadership elite for the offensive comments on the Prophet, has been detained in Russia, the country's top intelligence agency said on Monday.
According to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the foreign national was recruited by one of the Islamic State's ringleaders as a suicide bomber sometime between April and June 2022, while in Turkey, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"The Federal Security Service has identified and apprehended in Russia a member of the outlawed (by the Russian Federation) Islamic State international terrorist organisation. The detainee is a native of a Central Asian country, who planned to commit a terrorist attack against a member of India's ruling circles by blowing himself up, the FSB said.
The terrorist's "ideological indoctrination was conducted remotely via Telegram messenger accounts and during personal meetings in Istanbul with an IS representative, the Russian Federal Security Service's Center for Public Relations (CPR) said.
The FSB noted that the would-be suicide bomber swore allegiance to the IS Emir (chief), after which he was instructed to leave for Russia, draw up the necessary documents and fly to India to commit this act of terrorism, the report said.
The terrorist, who was not identified by the Russian intelligence agency, confessed that he was preparing an act of terrorism against a member of India's ruling circles for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
In a video of his interrogation released by the CPR on Monday, the would-be suicide bomber said he swore allegiance to the IS Emir in April 2022 and underwent special training, after which he flew to Russia, from where he was to travel to India.
"I was supposed to be given things there to commit a terrorist attack at the behest of the IS for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, he said.
BJP's spokesperson Nupur Sharma was suspended and the party's Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal was expelled by the party after their controversial remarks against the Prophet which sparked protests in the Muslim world.
Dreaded terror group ISIS and all its affiliate organisations, responsible for a series of savage attacks and killings in Iraq and Syria, have been banned in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Recruitment of youths to the outfit from India and their radicalisation is a matter of serious concern for the country especially with regard to its likely impact on national security when such youth return to India, the Home Ministry has said while banning the terrorist group.
The Islamic State/Islamic State of Iraq and Levant/ Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/Daesh and all its manifestations have been declared outlawed in India under UAPA, a notification issued by the Ministry said last year.
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LPG crisis: Karnataka temples gear up to stock wooden logs for ‘Prasada’
Bengaluru (PTI): Temples in Karnataka have started preparations to stock wooden logs fearing that the LPG shortage could hamper the ‘Prasada’ preparation and distributions to the devotees.
The looming LPG crisis in the state in the wake of Iran-Israel conflict has made the temple managements jittery.
According to the Akhila Karnataka Hindu Temple Archakas Federation (AKHTAF) president M S Venkatachalaiah, there is no immediate crisis in the temples.
“We have LPG cylinder stock that can last for a week but if this scarcity continues then there will be a problem in serving Prasada (offerings to the deity) to the devotees,” AKHTAF president said.
He added that many temples in the state have started stocking wooden logs to overcome the LPG crisis.
“Our temples have started preparing to store wooden logs to prepare Prasada though currently we don’t have a problem, at least for a week,” Venkatachalaiah told PTI.
Another priest working in a temple belonging to the state Endowment Department said the temples may have to go back to the traditional way of cooking as done in the ancient time using wood.
The LPG crisis has not affected the mid-day meal programme for government school students yet, though there was a meeting in the Education Department to find ways to tackle if crisis deepens, sources associated with the Mid-day Meal programme said.
Meanwhile, the largest partner of the Mid-day Meal programme in the country is Akshaya Patra.
The NGO said they do not depend much on LPG gas cylinder.
“The LPG crisis has not affected us. Our kitchens are steam-based, and we generate steam through boilers which run on electricity. That’s point number one. Point number two—gas is used only for very minor things, mainly for seasoning. That is the tadka,” an Akshaya Patra executive told PTI.
According to him, the NGO has has a gas reserves for about nearly one month across India, though gas is used in very small quantities every day.
He pointed out that the Mid-day meal programme will not be affected because in one or one-and-a-half weeks, schools will close owing to summer vacation.
Akshaya Patra feeds 23.5 lakh children across more than 24,000 schools across India, in 16 states and three Union Territories, he said.
