On Eid, terror outfit Al-Qaeda threatens to avenge Atiq Ahmed’s death; hail gangster as martyrs

Islamic terror outfit Al-Qaeda and its Indian manifestation Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) have threatened attacks in the country over the murder of Mafia don Atiq Ahmed during custody of Uttar Pradesh police. On the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the terror group posted a message, threatening revenge and calling Atiq and his brother Arshad ‘martyrs’. On this Eid, the terror outfit released a seven-page magazine where the organisation expresses its anger over the murder of Atiq Ahmed with a promise to liberate Muslims. “We shall stay the hand of the oppressor– be it the white house or the prime minister’s office in Delhi on GHQ in Rawalpindi. From Texas to Tihar to Adyala–we shall liberate all Muslim brothers and sisters from their shackles,” says the magazine as per the reports. ईद के मौके पर भारत को अल-कायदा की धमकी। अल-क़ायदा की पत्रिका में अतिक अहमद की हत्या का बदला लेने की धमकी। कहा , "अतीक की हत्या का बदला लेकर रहेंगे।" pic.twitter.com/PmRurT6Ic9 — Panchjanya (@epanchjanya) April 22, 2023 Notably, gangster Atiq and his brother Ashraf were shot dead, point blank by miscreants under police custody in Prayagraj on April 15. The threat by Al-Qaeda should not come as a surprise as media reports had claimed that Ahmed was ambushed just as he was starting to speak about the involvement of notorious foreign actors. “In a statement Atiq had said that he had links with LeT and ISI. He said that an arms dealer who also arranges weapons for LeT supplied him weapons that came via drones from across the border. These included a 45 bore pistol, an AK 47, sten gun, RDX that came via Punjab border,” the FIR accessed by The Print noted. Also, Slogans in praise of Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf were heard on April 21,  close to the largest mosque in Bihar’s capital. The district administration shared a statement by Mohammad Faisal Imam, who heads the managing committee of the Jama Masjid in Patna, on social media, in an apparent attempt to keep passions under control, especially in view of the Eid ul Fitr festivities on April 22. Rajiv Mishra, the senior superintendent of police, Patna, told news agency PTI, “We have not made any arrests or detentions in connection with the incident. But we are taking all preventive measures that may be required in view of the situation”. Last year Al-Qaeda issued threats following the Nupur Sharma row. It said, it would launch suicide attacks in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat to “fight for the honour of the Prophet”. “We shall kill those who affront our Prophet and we shall bind explosives with our bodies and the bodies of our children to blow away the ranks of those who dare to dishonour our Prophet… The saffron terrorists should now await their end in Delhi, Bombay, UP and Gujarat,” the letter says. Read details: Central agencies ‘seriously’ looking into the Al-Qaeda suicide attack threat