NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations in six states across the country in connection with activities promoted by some Bangladeshi nationals as part of a terror plot by Al-Qaeda to destabilise India, officials said.Officials from the anti-terror central probe agency said the crackdown targeted nine locations linked to individuals suspected of providing support and funding to those involved in the activities of the proscribed terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda.The raids began early in the morning across the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura, and Assam, they added.According to the officials, the raids led to the recovery of incriminating documents showing detailed banking transactions, digital devices including mobile phones, and other evidence supporting the terror funding activities of the suspects.“The NIA’s investigation has found that the suspects, whose premises were raided throughout the day, are sympathisers of a Bangladesh-based Al-Qaeda network,” a senior agency official said.The officials said the raids “were part of the NIA’s ongoing investigation into a 2023 case involving a conspiracy orchestrated by Bangladesh-based Al-Qaeda operatives in collaboration with the arrested individuals.”The conspiracy aimed to propagate Al-Qaeda’s terrorist activities and radicalise vulnerable youths in India, they added.In November last year, the NIA filed a charge sheet against five accused, including four Bangladeshi nationals—Mohd. Sojibmiyan, Munna Khalid Ansari alias Munna Khan, Azarul Islam alias Jahangir or Aakash Khan, and Abdul Latif alias Mominul Ansari—in the Special Court in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The fifth accused, Farid, is an Indian national.The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, had received credible information that four suspects had illegally infiltrated India using fraudulent identity documents. The investigation revealed that these individuals were associated with the proscribed terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda, engaging in activities such as fundraising and recruiting Muslim youths to join the extremist cause, the NIA said in the charge sheet.The NIA’s investigations into their backgrounds revealed that the accused had procured forged documents to carry out their activities covertly. They were actively involved in radicalising and motivating vulnerable Muslim youths in India, spreading Al-Qaeda’s violent ideology, collecting funds, and transferring these funds to Al-Qaeda.The investigations also uncovered that two absconding accused, Shariful Islam and Sahiba, “are members of Al-Qaeda and are believed to be key handlers of the arrested individuals,” the officials said. They added that acting on the explicit directives of these handlers, the accused provided comprehensive training, including the use of covert communication applications, to evade detection and enhance the secrecy of their activities.
Source link
