The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has uncovered a terror cell in India that was gearing up to launch “Hamas-style” attacks using weaponised drones and small rockets, aimed at crowded areas including high-profile landmarks.
The module, linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, had already begun assembling small rockets and modifying commercial drones with explosives, cameras and batteries.
According to investigators, the group intended to execute serial blasts as part of a broader campaign. One operative, Jasir Bilal Wani (alias Danish), arrested in Kashmir, was tasked with providing technical support for drone modifications and rocket manufacturing, working closely with a suicide bomber, Umar Nabi, who radicalised Wani.
The planned modus operandi mirrored the kind of asymmetric attacks deployed by Hamas during recent conflict, where drones were used to penetrate airspace and inflict maximum disruption. The NIA revealed the drones were to fly over crowded public areas with explosives attached and trigger serial blasts, in an attempt to maximise casualties and terror.