B’deshi nationals connected to Al-Qaeda outfit
Plot to radicalize youth, commit terror acts
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 11: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today carried out searches at nine locations spread over six UT/States across the country including Jammu and Kashmir in connection with terror group Al-Qaeda’s conspiracy to destabilise India through radicalization of youth and terror acts.
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In Jammu, the raid was conducted at village Bajalta near Nagrota and some documents and other important items were recovered.
Besides Jammu, the raids were conducted at eight locations in Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura and Assam, the officials said.
They said some Bangladeshi nationals settled illegally in some States/UT including Jammu and Kashmir were affiliated with Al-Qaeda group, an international terrorist outfit, and were plotting to destabilise India by carrying out terror acts at different places by radicalizing the local youth. The Bangladeshi nationals had reached these States by illegally crossing the border from West Bengal, Assam and Tripura and were lured by the Al-Qaeda operatives, the officials said.
At Bajalta in Nagrota area of Jammu, the Bangladeshis were trying to set up their base, they said, adding that from their location the NIA team has recovered documents and other items to ascertain their links and the acts they were trying to execute here.
The crackdown at nine locations, linked with individuals suspected of supporting and funding the activities of the proscribed terrorist organisation Al-Qaeda, started early in the morning in Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura and Assam and continued till late in the evening leading to seizures of electronic gadgets and other documents.
The incriminating documents seized during the searches showed detailed banking transactions, digital devices including mobile phones, and other evidence related to terror funding activities, a statement issued by the NIA said.
As per NIA investigations, the suspects whose premises were raided are sympathisers of a Bangladesh-based Al-Qaeda network.
The searches were part of NIA’s ongoing investigations into a 2023 case pertaining to a conspiracy orchestrated by Bangladesh-based Al-Qaeda operatives in collaboration with the arrested individuals, it said.
The conspiracy was aimed at propagating Al-Qaeda’s terrorist activities and radicalising gullible youths in India, the probe agency said.
In November last year, NIA had 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, Abdul Latif alias Mominul Ansari.
The fifth accused, Farid, is an Indian national.
NIA investigations into their antecedents had revealed that the accused had procured forged documents to carry out their activities covertly.
They were actively involved in radicalising and motivating vulnerable Muslim youth in India, spreading Al-Qaeda’s violent ideology, collecting funds, and transferring these funds to Al-Qaeda, the statement said.
Further investigations in the case are being conducted by a high-level team of the NIA and some more arrests in due course of time are not ruled out.
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