NEW DELHI, Feb 11: Police in northern India have held six alleged militants suspected of planning an attack on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), a report said on Monday.

“The BSE was going to be their first target,” said a police officer with Uttar Pradesh anti-terror force, according to the Times of India. “These terrorists have multiple targets. In case they fail in one, they quickly move on to the next.” The men are all believed to be members of Lashkar-i-Taiba, the report said.

India’s national security adviser M.K. Narayanan said on Sunday in Munich that Lashkar-i-Taiba and other Asian militant groups were part of Al Qaeda’s “elite terrorist network”.

Three of the Lashkar suspects were planning to board a bus for Mumbai on Sunday. State police chief Vikram Singh said they received a tip-off leading them to the men, who were arrested on Saturday.

The men were carrying automatic rifles and grenades when they were arrested, the report said, adding that at least one man had a Pakistani passport.

They have also been linked to a New Year’s Day attack on a paramilitary camp.—AFP