The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday claimed to have foiled a terror attack plan by arresting eight alleged Islamic State operatives and seizing explosive raw materials during raids in four states.

The agency in a statement said it raided 19 locations across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Delhi and arrested eight operatives of the Ballari module of the proscribed IS terror outfit, including its alleged leader Minaz alias Md Sulaiman, foiling their plans to carry out IED blasts.

The raids were conducted on the 19 locations spread across Ballari and Bangalore in Karnataka, Amaravati, Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra; Jamshedpur and Bokaro in Jharkhand and Delhi.

“The eight ISIS agents arrested during the raids were involved in actively promoting terror and terror-related acts and activities of ISIS, the proscribed organisation. They were operating under the leadership of Minaz alias Md. Sulaiman,” the agency said.

The raids, the statement said, also led to the seizure of explosive raw materials such as sulphur, potassium nitrate, charcoal, gunpowder, sugar and ethanol, sharp-edged weapons, unaccounted cash and incriminating documents, along with smartphones and other digital devices.

The NIA claimed that a preliminary probe revealed that the accused had planned to use the explosive raw materials to make IEDs, which were to be used in terror acts.

The searches were carried out through close coordination and the operational assistance of Karnataka police, Maharashtra police, Jharkhand police and Delhi police.

The eight accused have been identified as Minaj alias Md Sulaiman, Syed Sameer, Anas Iqbal Sheikh, Mohammad Muniruddin, Syed Samiullah, Md Muzammil, Shayan Rahman and Md Shahbaz.

The NIA had registered a case against the ISIS-inspired Ballari module on December 14 and had been working with the state police and central agencies to track and apprehend its members of this module, the agency said.