Delhi Police on Friday announced that it has successfully foiled a major terror attack planned in the national capital during Diwali, arresting two suspected ISIS operatives. The duo, both named Adnan, were allegedly preparing to carry out blasts in high-footfall areas, including a popular mall in south Delhi and a public park.

Officials said the arrests came after coordinated operations in Delhi and Bhopal. One of the suspects is a resident of Sadiq Nagar in Delhi, while the other hails from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Speaking at a press conference, Pramod Kushwaha, Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said, “The arrests have averted a possible terror attack in Delhi. They had conducted reconnaissance of several crowded places, including a mall and a park, where they planned to execute the strike.”

Investigators revealed that the operatives had targeted locations that would be crowded during Diwali celebrations to maximize casualties. Police recovered a video of the suspects pledging allegiance to ISIS, along with photographs of potential target sites in Delhi. A makeshift timer device, created using a watch, was also seized, along with images showing locations from which they intended to procure components for an improvised explosive device (IED).

The arrests took place in a phased manner. The Delhi-based suspect was first apprehended on October 16 in Sadiq Nagar. Following leads from his interrogation, the second Adnan was arrested in Bhopal. Police sources said the Bhopal resident had previously come under scrutiny for allegedly threatening an Archaeological Survey of India official on social media regarding the Gyanvapi mosque survey.

Authorities confirmed that the arrests formed part of a larger operation that resulted in the dismantling of an ISIS-inspired module operating across multiple states. Both suspects were reportedly receiving training for “fidayeen” or suicide-style attacks. Electronic devices and other material recovered indicate that the duo had been in contact with foreign handlers and were in the final stages of planning an IED-based attack.

A senior officer explained that the operation was based on specific intelligence inputs and was conducted jointly by teams led by Additional Commissioner Pramod Kushwaha and ACP Lalit Mohan Negi. Investigators are now probing whether the suspects had links to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which has previously been accused of supporting ISIS-affiliated networks.

Police believe the two were radicalized online and may have received logistical support from handlers abroad. Authorities are also checking if the duo attempted to recruit others in Delhi or Bhopal. Officials stressed that the arrests prevented what could have been a devastating terror strike during the festive season. The interrogation of the suspects continues, with searches underway at multiple locations connected to them, as investigators work to trace other members of the network.