New Delhi: Ahead of Independence Day, two men with suspected links to al-Qaeda were arrested here in two separate cases, the police said today.

In the first case, the Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested one Syed Mohammed Zishan Ali, suspected to be linked to the terror outfit. He was arrested here after being brought back from Saudi Arabia.

The police were on the lookout for him for over a year, ever since three alleged AQIS (al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent) operatives were arrested in 2015.

Senior officers from the Special Cell confirmed the arrest. Further details are awaited.

In the second case, 25-year-old Raja-ul-Ahmed, with links to al-Qaeda, was detained last week by the Delhi Police following a tip-off from the West Bengal police.

A senior officer from the Delhi Police said that Ahmed was held last week. He did not divulge details about the date or the place of arrest.

Ahmed is a suspected member of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), that is an al-Qaeda-inspired group in Bangladesh.