October 11, 2001	Thursday	Rajab 23, 1422

MUMBAI, Oct 10: Indian police claimed on Wednesday they had foiled a plan backed by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to assassinate Home Minister L.K. Advani.

The police said six people arrested in Mumbai on Tuesday were linked to “Pakistan-based” gangster Chota Shakeel.

“This group of gangsters had a specific task. It was to kill Home Minister Advani and the plan was ordered by Chota Shakeel at the behest of ISI. One of the gangsters admitted this to me,” a police spokesman said.

The official did not say where or how the men planned to assassinate Advani, considered a hardliner in Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s government.

“The group also had orders to carry out subversive activities in Mumbai, Bangalore and Lucknow,” the official said, adding that other political leaders may have also been on their hit list.—AFP