A report by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), filed on November 5, has revealed that Al-Qaeda is planning a terror attack in West Bengal, using its sleeper cells. The report further claimed that the terror outfit has a few Bengali politicians on its hit list.

As per a news report by India Today, Al-Qaeda has been running online recruitment drives among the local youths in West Bengal from Karachi and Peshawar in Pakistan.

Reportedly, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested 11 in connection to this recruitment drive. The terror organisation radicalised Muslim youths from several parts of the state and prepared them as sleeper cells for “abetting and advocating unlawful activities in India”, the NIA said.

The investigation agency in September had arrested nine suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists in multiple raids in Kerala and Bengal. Six terrorists were arrested from Bengal, three terrorists were from the southern state.

“Large quantity of incriminating materials including digital devices, documents, jihadi literature, sharp weapons, country-made firearms, a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making home-made explosive devices have been seized from their possession,” the NIA said in its official briefing.

“These individuals were radicalised by Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including Delhi-NCR.

“As per preliminary investigation, these individuals were radicalised by Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the National Capital Region. For this purpose, the module was actively indulging in fund raising and a few members of gang were planning to travel to New Delhi to procure arms and ammunition. These arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist attacks in various parts of the country,” it added.

Another arrest was made in relation to this case earlier this month when NIA nabbed Abdul Momin Mondal, a suspected al-Qaeda conspirator, from West Bengal’s Murshidabad.