Security agencies have arrested a 19-year-old man from the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh who was allegedly working for Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS), said officials on Saturday. The accused was identified as Mohammad Nabeel.
Nabeel, the son of Mohammad Danish, is a resident of Chitara Mahmoodpur, which falls under the jurisdiction of Didarganj police station. He was apprehended by the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police earlier in the day, officials said, adding that Nabeel was communicating with AQIS via coded messages.
According to officials, Nabeel was inspired by an AQIS terrorist, identified as Anwar al-Awlaki, who was allegedly misleading the youths through social media platforms. Nabeel allegedly tried to add many youths to a WhatsApp group with an Arabic name, seeking to turn them into 'mujaheddins'.
Investigators have found that many foreign nationals and people from Jammu and Kashmir were part of the group that was planning to arrange for funds and carry out anti-India activities.
Nabeel also wanted to propagate 'jihadi' ideology of the AQIS among the youth and intended to recruit them for anti-India activities. For this, he also created groups on encrypted social media platforms, aiming to raise funds, officials said.
Case registered, probe underway
A case has been registered against Nabeel under Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Sections 18 and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967. Investigators have also seized his mobile phone and found that the group he created a group with the name 'La Ghalib Illallah' on WhatsApp.
In the group, he also shared a book named '44 Ways to Support Jihad' written by Al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki. Another book named 'The Third World War and Dajjal' by AQIS terrorist Maulana Asim Umar was shared in the group. Besides, coded terms such as 'trip', 'pen', 'juice' and 'project' were used for jihad, knives, chemicals and plans, respectively, investigators said.
Nabeel was also a member of a group named 'Flames of War', which had members from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Myanmar. He wanted to push the 'Ghazwa-e-Hind' ideology and was planning to visit Pakistan, Türkiye and Bangladesh for training. He was also preparing to take training on making bombs.
Nabeel will soon be produced before a court, and further details will be provided following an investigation, officials said.
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