The men were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places, including the National Capital Region, says anti-terror agency
Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday claimed to have busted an inter-state module of Al Qaeda operatives as it conducted raids in West Bengal and Kerala earlier in the morning. Nine suspects were arrested – six in West Bengal’s Murshidabad and three in Kerala’s Ernakulam district.
Kerala Police chief Lokanath Behera confirmed the arrests from Ernakulam that has the highest migrant labourer population in the state. Those arrested are Murshid Hassan, Yakoob Bishwas and Morshraf Hussien.
Suspects arrested from Murshidabad are: Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman.
All the nine persons will be produced before the courts concerned in Kerala and West Bengal for police custody and further investigation, according to a release issued by the NIA.
The anti-terror agency learnt about an inter-state module of Al-Qaeda operatives at various locations in the country, including West Bengal and Kerala. It was allegedly planning to undertake terrorist attacks at vital installations. The investigating officials recovered large quantities of incriminating materials, including digital devices and documents from their possession.
The NIA press release claims that the men 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. The module was actively indulging in fund-raising, and a few members of the gang were planning to travel to New Delhi to procure arms and ammunition. The arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist attacks in various parts of the country, the agency said.
