Lucknow: The father of a suspected Islamic State operative, killed in an anti-terror operation here early Wednesday, has refused to accept his son's body.
Saifullah was killed in his hideout in Haji colony in Thakurganj area by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad in an 11-hour-long gunfight.
Talking to news agency ANI, Sartaj, the father of Saifullah, said what his son did was “not in country's interest. We will not accept the body of an anti-national.”
Sartaj added that Saifullah left home around two-and-a-half months back after he beat him up for not working. “He telephoned last Monday and said he was going to Saudi,” added Sartaj.
Meanwhile, a relative of Saifullah said everyone was shocked by the news. “Saifullah was well behaved and used to perform Namaz five times. We did not expect this.”
Here is what Sartaj said:
#WATCH: Sartaj, father of Saifulla says,"Ye desh-hitt mein nahi tha hum usse naraz hain,aise deshdrohi ki laash nahi lenge" #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/bGMxHlokJM
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017
Also Read: Lucknow encounter: Pictures of the room where ISIS Khorasan module terrorist was gunned down
According to police, six pistols of different make, two wireless sets, alarm clocks, steel pipes, an IS flag, two laptops, videos of how to make bombs, four knives, two passports and 600-plus live cartridges were recovered from the site.
Intelligence agencies from two other states had tipped off the UP police of the likely presence of terror suspects in Lucknow, Kanpur and Etawah after an explosion took place in a train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.
The gunbattle broke out at around 4 pm on Tuesday in Lucknow and continued for over 11 hours, concluding early on Wednesday.
Saifullah opened fire when the police reached the hideout to nab him.
