Who was Prince Al-Waleed, and why was he known as Saudi Arabia's sleeping prince?
Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, widely known as the 'Sleeping Prince', has died at the age of 36 after spending two decades in a coma caused by a car crash in London in 2005. The eldest son of Prince Khaled bin Talal, Al-Waleed never regained consciousness but remained a symbol of endurance and faith in the Arab world. Funeral prayers were held on 20 July in Riyadh, with condolences continuing over three days.
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First Post
9 hours ago
- First Post
Radical speeches, jihadist sermons: How Bengaluru woman 'spread' Al-Qaeda propaganda on social media
Shama Parveen Ansari, 30, was arrested at her Bengaluru residence by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for allegedly spreading Al-Qaeda's anti-India propaganda, using social media. The woman, who hails from Jharkhand, has two Facebook pages and an Instagram account with over 10,000 followers read more Shama Parveen Ansari, 30 was allegedly amplifying Al-Qaeda's propaganda through social media. She was arrested by Gujarat ATS. Image courtesy: moneycontrol Shama Parveen Ansari, a 30-year-old woman originally from Jharkhand who had been living in Bengaluru for the past three years, was arrested this week for allegedly spreading extremist content online linked to Al-Qaeda in India. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested her from her rented flat in Hebbal's Manorayanapalya on Tuesday, following which she was brought to Gujarat on a transit remand. Parveen, 30, who was residing with her younger brother, had no formal employment and lived a quiet, low-profile life, but behind the scenes, she was allegedly amplifying jihadist propaganda through social media. But how did a seemingly ordinary woman from Bengaluru got involved with one of the most dangerous terror networks in the world? and How did the Gujarat ATS track her down? Here's what we know. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How Shama Ansari 'spread' Al-Qaeda propaganda According to the Gujarat ATS, Ansari was using two Facebook pages and an Instagram account with over 10,000 followers to share radical sermons, speeches, and anti-India content inspired by the banned terror outfit Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). Officials claim her posts promoted extremist ideology and called on followers to support jihadist causes. Some of the content was allegedly aimed at inciting violence and creating religious tension. 'She may not have been handling weapons, but she was handling narratives—and that's equally dangerous today,' an ATS officer told The Times of India. Authorities also believe Ansari played an active role in spreading propaganda rather than merely endorsing it. Her digital presence, they say, was part of a larger online ecosystem that amplifies extremist content. The ATS says she was linked to one of the four men arrested in a recent multi-state operation that exposed a broader terror network that allegedly disseminated extremist content, including videos promoting AQIS ideology through social media platforms. She is Shama Parveen, 30 years old Shama completed her graduation.. She was handling social media accounts who were giving information about Al Qaida & influence youths.. She was part of few Pakistani what's app groups.. Today Gujrat ATS arrested her from Banglore.. — Trupti Garg (@garg_trupti) July 30, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, sources told The Print that the group may have been radicalised without ever coming into contact with any active AQIS operatives. The probe is still in its early stages. AQIS was officially formed in September 2014, when then al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri appointed Pakistan-based Asim Umar as its head. The outfit aimed to expand al-Qaeda's reach in the region, with areas like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Assam, Gujarat, and Kashmir marked as their focus zones. Ansari, according to investigators, used social media to circulate calls for an 'armed revolution or jihad' against the Indian government. Following her arrest, she was brought to Gujarat on a transit warrant for further questioning. How the Gujarat ATS tracked her down According to The Print, the case first came to light on June 10, when Gujarat ATS Deputy Superintendent of Police Harsh Upadhyay received intelligence about five Instagram accounts allegedly sharing Al-Qaeda propaganda videos to radicalise youth. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The content on these accounts reportedly included videos promoting Ghazwa-e-Hind, calls for violence against 'non-believers' (kafirs), and even clips featuring Maulana Abdul Aziz of Pakistan's Lal Masjid, urging an armed uprising to dismantle the Indian government. Many of the jihadist propaganda videos had been sourced from two Facebook pages and an Instagram account, believed to be operated by Shama Parveen Ansari. ANI As the investigation progressed, ATS arrested four individuals last week—Fardeen Shaikh from Ahmedabad, Saifulla Qureshi from Modasa (both in Gujarat), Mohammad Faiq from Delhi's Chandni Chowk, and Zeeshan Ali from Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Officials say one of the suspects, Mohammad Faiq, was allegedly working in coordination with Pakistan-based Instagram accounts named 'gujjar_sab.111' and 'M Salauddin Siddiqui 1360' to target the Indian government. One of the devices seized during the raids also reportedly contained AQIS literature calling for jihad in response to 'Operation Sindoor'. During questioning, Faiq allegedly told investigators that many of the propaganda videos had been sourced from two Facebook pages and an Instagram account, believed to be operated by Shama Parveen Ansari. Following this lead, a Gujarat ATS team, working with central agencies and the local police, tracked Ansari to her residence in RT Nagar in Bengaluru and arrested her. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The ATS is now probing the extent of her influence, the reach of her social media content, and whether she was part of a larger network. With input from agencies
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Will blast India from Pakistan': Bengaluru apartment on edge after wall scribble sparks bomb scare
Panic gripped residents of the Alphine Pyramid Apartment complex in Bengaluru's Kodigehalli on Wednesday after a chilling message threatening a terror attack was found scrawled on a wall inside the premises, said a report in India Today. The handwritten note read, 'Will blast India from Pakistan', triggering immediate alarm among the residents. A bomb threat on an apartment's wall in Bengaluru triggered panic among residents. (Pic for representation) Also Read - Who is Shama Parveen Ansari, the Bengaluru woman linked to Al-Qaeda propaganda? Home to nearly 300 families, the apartment complex was swiftly cordoned off after the message came to light. Residents quickly alerted local authorities, prompting the deployment of bomb disposal squads, sniffer dogs, and intelligence officers to the scene. The teams combed the property thoroughly to rule out the presence of any explosive devices. Speaking to reporters, police officials confirmed that the situation had been brought under control but added that investigations were ongoing to trace the source of the threat. 'We are checking the CCTV footage and verifying all possible angles. At this point, we cannot confirm if the message has any credibility,' a senior police officer is quoted as a saying. The incident has added to growing concerns over a recent spate of bomb threats across Bengaluru. Just a week earlier, on July 23, police had recovered six gelatin sticks concealed in a plastic bag at the Kalasipalya bus stand. The discovery at one of the city's busiest transit points triggered a rapid response from local police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), who secured the area and conducted an in-depth sweep. Also Read - Influencer frenzy on Bengaluru's Church Street: Cops detain German creator Younes Zarou who has 20M Instagram followers Earlier still, on July 18, chaos erupted across the city when over 40 private schools received bomb threat emails early in the morning. Schools in areas such as Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Kengeri were among those affected. The ominous email, sent from the ID roadkill333@ carried the subject line 'BOMBS INSIDE THE SCHOOL' and claimed that explosives containing TNT had been planted in classrooms. While no explosives were ultimately found in the schools, the scale and frequency of recent threats have led to heightened security protocols citywide. In the case of the Alphine Pyramid Apartment, police are also examining whether the threatening wall message was a prank or a more serious warning.
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Business Standard
13 hours ago
- Business Standard
IS, al-Qaeda threat intense in Africa, with growing risks in Syria: UN
The threat from Islamic State and al-Qaeda extremists and their affiliates is most intense in parts of Africa, and risks are growing in Syria, which both groups view as a strategic base for external operations, UN experts said in a new report. Their report to the UN Security Council circulated Wednesday said West Africa's al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin group, known as JNIM, and East Africa's al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab have continued to increase the territory under their control. The experts monitoring sanctions against the two groups said the organisation's pivot towards parts of Africa continued" partly because of Islamic State losses in the Middle East due to counterterrorism pressures. There are also increasing concerns about foreign terrorist fighters returning to Central Asia and Afghanistan, aiming to undermine regional security, they said. The Islamic State also continues to represent the most significant threat to Europe and the Americas, the experts said, often by individuals radicalised via social media and encrypted messaging platforms by its Afghanistan-based Khorasan group. In the United States, the experts said several alleged terrorist attack plots were largely motivated by the Gaza and Israel conflict, or by individuals radicalised by IS, also known as ISIL. They pointed to an American who pledged support to IS and drove into a crowd in New Orleans on January 1, killing 14 people in the deadliest attack by al-Qaeda or the Islamic State in the US since 2016. In addition, they said, Authorities disrupted attacks, including an ISIL-inspired plot to conduct a mass shooting at a military base in Michigan, and the IS Khorasan affiliate issued warnings of plots targeting Americans. In Africa's Sahel region, the experts said, JNIM expanded its area of operations, operating with relative freedom in northern Mali and most of Burkina Faso. There was also a resurgence of activity by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, particularly along the Niger and Nigeria border, where the group was seeking to entrench itself. JNIM reached a new level of operational capability to conduct complex attacks with drones, improvised explosive devices and large numbers of fighters against well-defended barracks, the experts said. In East Africa, they said, al-Shabab maintained its resilience, intensifying operations in southern and central Somalia and continuing its ties with Yemen's Houthi rebels. The two groups have reportedly exchanged weapons and the Houthis have trained al-Shabab fighters, they said. Syria, the experts said, remains in a volatile and precarious phase, six months after the ouster of President Bashar Assad, with unnamed countries warning of growing risks posed by both IS and al-Qaeda. Member states estimated that more than 5,000 foreign terrorist fighters were involved in the military operation in which Damascus was taken on December 8, the experts' 27-page report said. Syria's new interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa led the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once an al-Qaeda affiliate that later split from it. He has promised that the country will transition to a system that includes Syria's mosaic of religious and ethnic groups under fair elections, but sceptics question whether that will actually happen. The experts expressed concern at the Syrian military's announcement of several senior appointments including prominent Syrian armed faction leaders and six positions for foreigners three with the rank of brigadier general and three with the rank of colonel. The ideological affiliation of many of these individuals was unknown, although several were likely to hold violent extremist views and external ambitions," the report said. As for financing, the experts said the HTS takeover in Syria was considered to pose financial problems for the Islamic State and likely to lead to a decline in its revenues. Salaries for Islamic State fighters were reduced to USD 50-70 per month and USD 35 per family, lower than ever, and not paid regularly, suggesting financial difficulties, said the experts, who did not give previous salaries or family payments. They said both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State vary methods to obtain money according to locations and their ability to exploit resources, tax local communities, kidnap for ransom and exploit businesses. While the extremist groups predominantly move money through cash transfers and informal money transfer systems known as hawalas, the experts said the Islamic State has increasingly used female couriers and hawala systems where data is stored in the cloud to avoid detection, and safe drop boxes where money is deposited at exchange offices and can only be retrieved with a password or code.
