Gujarat ATS busts terror module linked to Al-Qaeda affiliate, arrests 4 men

News18

4 days ago

Ahmedabad, Jul 23 (PTI) The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Wednesday claimed to have busted a terror module after arresting four persons, who were allegedly promoting the ideology of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a proscribed outfit.
The quartet, two of them from Gujarat, was arrested from different locations in a multi-state operation, officials said.
'A terror module affiliated with AQIS has been busted by the Gujarat ATS. Four persons linked to the proscribed terror outfit have been arrested," the agency said.
These four men were involved in sharing radical and provocative content, including jihadi propaganda videos of AQIS, on social media platforms with an aim to uproot democratic system and implement 'sharia' (Islamic law) in India through an armed rebellion, said an official release.
The ATS recently received a tip-off that some Instagram account holders were spreading extremist ideology of AQIS and trying to attract Muslim youth towards radical outfits by sharing inflammatory content calling for violence or terrorist acts against Indian citizens, said the release.
Acting on the tip-off, the ATS kept a close watch on five such Instagram accounts and nabbed four persons, two of them hailing from Gujarat, who were running them, it said.
Those arrested were identified by police as Mohammad Faiq, a resident of Delhi, Zeeshan Ali, an inhabitant of Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Saifulla Qureshi, a native of Modasa town of Arvalli district, and Ahmedabad resident Mohammad Fardeen Shaikh.
'These four individuals came into contact with each other through social media. We learnt that Delhi-resident Faiq was in contact with a Pakistani Instagram user and discussed ways to spread jihadi activities in India," said Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Gujarat ATS, Sunil Joshi.
During a raid at Shaikh's house in Fatehwadi area of Ahmedabad city, the Anti-Terrorist Squad found a sword and AQIS literature promoting jihad against India for its 'Operation Sindoor' carried out against Pakistan in May, he informed.
'The main agenda of these four accused was to attract youth towards AQIS ideology and incite them to uproot democracy in India to establish sharia through violence. We are investigating if they received any funds and what their exact plans were," Joshi noted.
Their Instagram posts contained AQIS literature, call for establishing sharia and other such radical statements which had the capacity to create communal hatred, said the IPS officer.
The accused had also posted a video of Asim Umar, an Indian who had joined AQIS and later on killed in Afghanistan in 2019, he informed.
'The conduct of the accused amounts to a premeditated criminal conspiracy to incite terrorism, promote armed insurrection, and undermine the sovereignty and democratic fabric of India" the DIG said.
Actions of the four men associated with AQIS were aimed at radicalizing youth, creating communal disharmony, promoting secessionist and terrorist agendas under the guise of establishing an 'Islamic Khilafat' (caliphate or an Islamic state), Joshi asserted.
They were arrested under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) — an anti-terror law — and sections 113 (terrorist act), 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India) and 196 (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In 2023, four Bangladeshi nationals were arrested from different parts of Ahmedabad city for having links with AQIS, a regional affiliate of international terrorist network Al-Qaida. PTI PJT PD NP RSY
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First Published:
July 23, 2025, 21:00 IST
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