The Uttar Pradesh police has increased security around the Taj Mahal after a new poster doing the rounds on the internet claims that the Islamic State has set sight on Agra’s famed monument.
Warning of attacks in India, terror outfit Islamic State has released a graphic depicting Agra’s famed Taj Mahal as a possible target.
According to reports, the graphic image showing an image of Taj Mahal in the backdrop with an ISIS terrorist standing next to it was posted by the Ahwaal Ummat Media Center on a channel of Telegram, the encrypted communication app, on March 14.
Site Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadi activity on the web, has confirmed the report.
The graphic also has an inset which shows another image of the Taj Mahal within crosshairs with the words “New Target” written below it.
“Link being circulated that says Taj Mahal will be targeted in attack. Security has been enhanced in and around the area,” UP ADG (Law&Order) Daljeet Chowdhary said today.
Also, there is an image of a van with the Arabic text “Agra istishhadi” (Agra martyrdom-seeker) written in English.
Last year, the US state department warned India of possible terror attacks by the ISIS.
The graphic has been released almost a week after Indian agencies carried out combing operations in Uttar Pradesh in which one accused – Saifullah – was neutralised and six others were nabbed.
A day after Saifullah was killed by Lucknow ATS, a pro-ISIS group had conveyed their message through social media platform in which they said to carry out an attack in India.
The pro-ISIS channel had also posted a picture of Saifullah and described as a “soldier of the Khilafah from India”.
The UP Police, however, is yet to establish any direct links of Saifullah with the ISIS. The cops have said that Saifullah was “self-radicalised”.
The security agencies have claimed that some 75 Indians have so far joined ISIS. This includes 45 who went from India, mostly from Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka, while the remainder were Indians living abroad.
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