In a coordinated multi-state operation, Indian security agencies arrested five suspected ISIS operatives accused of plotting large-scale terror attacks using chemical weapons. The men, believed to be part of a sleeper cell, were reportedly tasked with assembling bombs, procuring weapons, and recruiting youth under a Pakistan-backed “Khilafat” model.
The crackdown spanned Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Telangana, leading to the capture of:
1. Aftab and Abu Sufiyan, both from Mumbai, arrested at Delhi’s Nizamuddin railway station.
2. Ashar Danish, detained in Ranchi.
3. Kamran Qureshi, caught in Rajgarh (Madhya Pradesh).
4. Huzaif Yemen, arrested in Telangana.
Among them, Ashar Danish, a postgraduate in English literature, has emerged as the alleged leader. Operating under the code name “Gazwa”, Danish had been living in Ranchi since January, posing as a student. Investigators say he is an expert in chemical weapon-making, raising concerns about the scale of planned attacks.
A pistol, multiple digital devices, and a cache of chemicals were recovered from the suspects. According to officials, seized materials included hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sodium bicarbonate, sulphur powder, ball bearings, pH checkers, weighing machines, beakers, gloves, respiratory masks, and wired components, all ingredients consistent with assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
One source revealed: “It appears as though the group was assigned a major task. The recovery of such chemicals and bomb-making equipment points to a sophisticated terror plot in the making.”
Investigators added that the accused were in constant touch with handlers in Pakistan via social media platforms, where they allegedly received both instructions and ideological indoctrination. The “Khilafat” model, under which they operated, called for occupying areas and waging jihad to expand ISIS influence in South Asia.
Officials are now questioning more individuals linked to the network, with intelligence inputs suggesting that further arrests could follow.
