Four terrorists with alleged links to al-Qaeda have been arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for operating a fake currency racket and promoting the terror group’s ideology, officials said. One of the suspects was apprehended from another state.
The accused Mohd Faiq, Mohd Fardeen, Sefullah Kureshi, and Zeeshan Ali reportedly used social media platforms and suspicious mobile apps to disseminate al-Qaeda propaganda, according to sources. To avoid detection, they relied on auto-delete apps to erase traces of their digital communications, sources added. The four are currently being interrogated by authorities.
According to Gujarat ATS officials, the four accused had longstanding ties with al-Qaeda, having first come into contact with the terror group through social media platforms. They came under the ATS radar after being detected discussing terror-related activities within the state. Authorities are now closely examining their online chats and social media accounts for further evidence.
“These individuals connected with each other via social media. Our investigation revealed that Faiq, a resident of Delhi, had been in contact with a Pakistani Instagram user and was actively discussing ways to promote jihadi activities in India,” said Sunil Joshi, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gujarat ATS.
During a raid at the residence of one of the suspects, Shaikh, in Ahmedabad’s Fatehwadi area, the ATS recovered a sword and literature linked to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The materials encouraged jihad against India in retaliation for its ‘Operation Sindoor’ conducted against Pakistan in May, Joshi added.
“The primary objective of the four accused was to radicalise young people by promoting the ideology of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and to incite them to dismantle India’s democratic framework and replace it with Sharia law through violence,” said Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gujarat ATS, Sunil Joshi. “We are currently investigating whether they received any funding and what their specific plans were.”
According to Joshi, the accused had shared Instagram posts featuring AQIS literature, extremist messages calling for the establishment of Sharia, and other content capable of inciting communal tension. They had also uploaded a video of Asim Umar, an Indian national who joined AQIS and was killed in Afghanistan in 2019.
“The actions of the accused amount to a deliberate and premeditated conspiracy aimed at promoting terrorism, sparking armed rebellion, and threatening the sovereignty and democratic structure of India,” the DIG added.
Al-Qaeda originated from Makhtab al-Khidamat, an organisation founded by Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, mentor to Osama bin Laden, to fund militant operations in Afghanistan. Since its inception, al-Qaeda and its affiliates have been responsible for planning and carrying out terror attacks across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
From its founding until 1991, al-Qaeda operated out of Afghanistan and Peshawar, Pakistan. Between 1996 and late 2001, Osama bin Laden and his associates managed its operations from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
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