New Delhi attack plot foiled: home minister

Police foil an attack by suspected militants from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group who were caught with explosives at a rail station.

NEW DELHI // India's home minister said yesterday that police had foiled an attack by suspected militants from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group who were caught with explosives at a rail station.

P Chidambaram told reporters that two men had been arrested at New Delhi's main station after a tip-off from intelligence agencies and work by three state police agencies.

"They were planning to detonate a bomb or more than one bomb in a crowded locality," he said, citing initial reports from the police investigation.

The pair -- and others who have been detained in connection with the alleged plot -- are to go before a local court, he added.

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which means "The Army of the Pure" in Urdu, is one of the most powerful militant groups in Pakistan and is blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that left 166 people dead.

Mr Chidambaram said it was "an important module" of the group that had been planning a "terrorist incident in Delhi." Neither he nor the police would disclose when the men were detained.

The arrests, if followed by convictions, would be an intelligence coup for the Indian security forces which have been criticised for failing to prevent, or catch those responsible for, a string of blasts over the last few years.

New Delhi has been a frequent target for terror attacks.

In September, a bomb outside Delhi High Court killed 14 people, while in early February a bomb blast badly wounded an Israeli diplomat in the heart of the city near the prime minister's residence.