Gujarat ATS busts Al-Qaeda terror module; 4 suspected operatives arrested

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Wednesday busted a terror module linked to the Al-Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent (AQIS) and arrested four suspected operatives of the banned outfit from Gujarat, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

“Terror module affiliated with AQIS has been busted by the Gujarat ATS. Four persons linked to the proscribed terror outfit have been arrested,” the anti-terror agency said in a statement.

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The four suspected operatives of the AQIS have been identified as Mohammad Faiq, Mohammad Fardeen, Sefullah Kureshi and Zeeshan Ali.

While Faiq was arrested from Delhi, Fardeen and Sefullah Qureshi were nabbed from Gujarat. Ali was arrested from Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

They allegedly used social media and other mobile applications to recruit people and spread the Al-Qaeda ideology.

According to Gujarat ATS DIG Sunil Joshi, they recieved information about five Instagrams accounts allegedly promoting Al-Qaeda ideology on June 10.

The ATS launched a thorough probe and identified the four arrested accused. They began monitoring the individuals in Ahmedabad, Delhi’s Chandani Chowk, Noida in UP and Modasa in Aravalli district of Gujarat.

“Gujarat ATS Deputy SP Harsh Upadhyay received information on June 10 regarding five Instagram accounts. These social media accounts were promoting and sharing the ideologies of Al-Qaeda, a banned terror outfit. This input was shared with senior officials. Four accused were identified from Ahmedabad, Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, Noida, and Modasa. Their physical movements were monitored, and their activities were found to be suspicious,” Joshi said.

He further added: “Four teams were set up and sent to these locations. As it was an inter-state operation, assistance from the central agency was crucial. We successfully carried out the operation and arrested all four accused.”