Assam

Assam: Disguised as auto-rickshaw driver STF arrests notorious Islamist terrorist Jaher Ali of Ansarullah Bangla Team

In a major breakthrough, the Assam Special Task Force (STF) has apprehended Jaher Ali, a notorious Islamist terrorist linked to the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an extremist group with alleged ties to international terror networks

Published by
Dibya Kamal Bordloi

Guwahati: In yet another successful operation, Assam Police Special Task Force (STF) arrested another notorious Jihadi from Dhubri district of the state. The arrested radical Islamist terrorist group member has been identified as Jaher Ali. The arrest has been made from the Bilasipara area of the district. STF received confirmed inputs about the hideout of the Islamist terrorists in Bilasipara area. Based on the input, STF raided the area on the 18th night. Jaher Ali was arrested by the team where he was staying as an auto-rickshaw driver. He is being taken to STF headquarters in Guwahati for further interrogation. The arrested terrorist is a part of the Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). He was on a task to recruit Muslim youth of Dhubri district into the ABT network. Jaher Ali was preparing a base for the Islamic terror outfit in the border district while hiding his identity and pretending to be an auto driver.

Earlier on December 30 (Monday) STF arrested a most wanted terrorist in the Kokrajhar district of Assam. As per the STF source, the arrested terrorist, Gazi Rahman, 35, of Bhodeyaguri, Kokrajhar, is a member of the Bangladesh based Islamist terrorist group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a wing of  Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Rahman was arrested as part of Operation Praghat, a nationwide operation that targets anti-national acts by the Islamist terrorist groups, according to STF IGP (STF) Partha Sarathi Mahanta. With the help of Kokrajhar Police, the STF was able to capture the terrorist who was evading arrest for the last few days. Investigations are ongoing, and legal proceedings are in progress,” IGP Mahanta said. This comes after a slew of arrests made as part of the operation. The STF arrested Shahinur Islam, 36, of Dhubri district on December 27. Officials found incriminating items during the raid in Bandhabpara, Bilasipara, including electronic devices, personal identification documents, and novels written in Urdu.

The STF stopped a possible terror act connected to a notorious terrorist group in a different raid on December 24 in the Namapara neighborhood of Kokrajhar district. An armory of guns, explosives, and ingredients for trigger IEDs was seized, and two suspects, Abdul Zaher Sheikh and Sabbir Mirdha, were taken into custody. The seized by STF included explosives, live ammunition, and homemade guns that looked like AK-47s.

STF earlier in a series of raids in Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala had arrested 12 terrorists connected to jihadi networks on 17-18 December.  Which includes one most wanted terrorist of Bangladesh. The expedition demonstrates Assam Police’s dedication to protecting the state and fighting terrorism. There are still investigations underway to fully dismantle the networks.

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