Two Pakistani militants arrested in south Indian city of Mysore

Two members of the Islamic militant group Al-Badr have been arrested in Mysore after a gun-battle with police early Friday morning.

Police said that they were planning a "devastating" terrorist attack in the state by attacking Vidhan Soudha in Bangalore, which houses the state secretariat and legislative assembly.

According to Karnataka DGP B S Sial, they were intercepted by police when they were riding a bike early morning and apprehended after a shootout. The gunfight took place near the city's Vijaynagar extension. Two police constables and one of the militants sustained minor injuries.

Sial said, an AK-47 rifle, a foreign made pistol, a cell phone, detonators, a digital camera and passports were also recovered from them.

The two Pakistani militants have been identified as Mohd Ali Hussain from Karachi and Mohd Fahad from Manshera. The men were hiding in Mysore for the last two or three months.

Husain is thought to have crossed the Line of Control in June this year through the Rajwar forests in northern Kashmir. He hid himself in the Harwan area until he received instructions to travel to Mysore.

Al-Badr operatives have financed Rs. 300,000 to the Srinagar cell led by an operative code named "Imran". Hussain has been linked to this cell. Investigators believe that Hussain was one of several Al-Badr operatives despatched to execute terror strikes outside Jammu and Kashmir.

Al-Badr was allegedly formed by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in June 1998.