September 1, 2003	Monday	Rajab 3, 1424

NEW DELHI, Aug 31: Police in New Delhi claimed on Sunday that they had killed two militants from a Pakistan-based Kashmiri rebel group.

The shootout in New Delhi took place just before midnight near a park in the centre of the capital, a police spokesman said.

The two men, claimed to belong to the Jaish-i-Mohammad group, were waiting to pick up a consignment of arms and opened fire when police approached them, he said.

Police had learned of the two men after they intercepted a fruit truck carrying hand grenades, shells and a grenade launcher, and arrested three men earlier in the evening, he said, adding that a major terror attack had been foiled.

Earlier on Saturday, Delhi police found a bag containing about 21 kg of gelatin explosives on a platform at the city’s crowded main railway station.

Indian analysts said the past week’s violence would inject a sense of caution into New Delhi’s quest for peace.

WARNING: Indian police warned on Sunday of the possibility of more deadly attacks in the wake of the Mumbai bombings after killing two militants who were allegedly plotting to strike a “spectacular target” in the capital.

“There is a need for the people to be alert particularly in light of the forthcoming festival season which will be a lucrative target for the militants,” New Delhi deputy police chief Neeraj Kumar told a news conference.

Five arrested: Indian police have arrested five people and questioned many more in their probe of twin car bombings in Mumbai that killed 52 and injured more than 150, a minister said on Sunday.

Kripashankar Singh, home minister of Maharashtra state said police were trying to identify the mastermind behind the August 25 blasts.—Reuters/AFP