The Parbhani module could announce the “dominance” of the IS in India by carrying out the attack and claiming responsibility. “The Parbhani module comprised these four members, with Siddique being the ring leader and Chaus the ‘Amir’ (chief) of the module. The Parbhani module, however, reportedly developed cold feet and abandoned the assassination plan after the arrest of IS operatives from Hyderabad in June. According to sources, Siddique had knowledge of explosives and was assigned the task of assembling the IED. Intelligence sources told The Indian Express that Farooque alias Shafi Armar wanted a photograph of the improvised explosive device (IED) in order to claim responsibility for the killing of Reddy.

Source: Indian Express August 11, 2016 20:26 UTC