Uttar Pradesh: NIA attaches house of Al-Qaeda’s active member for terror acts

The accused, Minhaj Ahmed, was using the property (house no. 602/400) based in Adnanpalli area Dubagga locality in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow district for carrying out various terror-related unlawful activities, including fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices and Petrol bombs, to carry out terrorist attacks in the state.
The property is registered in the name of Minhaj’s father Siraj Ahmad and the latter’s mother and brother.

The NIA, which attached the property on Monday, under section 25 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, has found that the accused, Minhaj, had been working closely with Adil Nabi Teli alias Musa, a terrorist affiliated with TRF (an affiliate of the proscribed terrorist organisation Laskhar-e-Taiba). Musa was killed in an encounter with Security forces on March 16, 2022.

Investigations by the NIA in a case pertaining to radicalisation and recruitment of members for AQIS (Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent) had led the agency to Minhaj’s connections with Musa. The NIA said it had found that Minhaj had provided funds to the co-accused for the purpose of carrying out violent Jihadist (terrorist activities) in Kashmir.

“The accused had procured certain raw materials and components to fabricate an IED in a Pressure cooker, which was recovered from the property attached on Monday,” said the NIA. As per the anti-terror agency, Minhaj had also prepared a sample IED using materials in small quantities and carried out its controlled explosion (testing) on the roof of the said house.

Further, the agency has found that Minhaj had recorded a video of the fabrication of IED as well as its controlled explosion and sent it to Musa. “Minhaj had also prepared a petrol bomb and shared a video of its fabrication with Musa. Minhaj Ahmad had also procured a pistol and live ammunition, and concealed it in his room on the first floor of the said house.”

The case was initially registered on July 11, 2021, by Anti-Terrorist Squad of Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow division but it was taken over and re-registered by the NIA on July 29, 2021.

The NIA has so far arrested and chargesheeted six accused in the case.