The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Monday arrested four suspected ISIS terrorists from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. ATS said that the suspects, all Sri Lankan citizens, wanted to carry out terror activities, with the help of their Pakistani handler, by targeting BJP and RSS leaders for ‘atrocities against Muslims’.
The arrested persons have been identified as Mohammed Nusrath Gani (33), Mohammed Nafran (27), Mohammed Faris (35) and Mohammed Rasdin (43). Addressing the media, Gujarat Director General of Police, Vikas Sahai, said that the four suspects are “active and highly radicalised members of banned terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS).”
Local media, including TV9 Gujarati, stated that the suspected terrorists had been taken to an undisclosed location for intensive questioning. The exact reason for their presence at the Ahmedabad airport remains unclear. The same report suggests that the suspects arrived in Ahmedabad via Chennai from Sri Lanka and were in contact with Pakistani handlers. In response, security at the airport has been significantly increased.
According to the report by Deccan Herald, the ATS officials claimed to have found from the terrorists three pistols from a pink colour parcel and a black flag from a location in the Nana Chioda area. “The pistols bear star marks, but their serial numbers have been deliberately removed so that their origin can’t be traced”, ATS said in a press note. From the parcel, ATS also found 20 rounds of magazines on which FATA is written. “Prima facie, the three pistols are Norinco Type 54 model and ammunition is made of Pakistan’s erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) while the black flag is of IS”, the note added.
The suspects told ATS officials that in the past, they were members of another radical militant outfit, ‘National Thowheed Jamath’, which was banned following the Easter Bombing in April 2019, which killed over 250 people. In February 2024, they came in contact with Pakistan-based IS terrorist handler Abu and were radicalized. They have been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Arms Act, and sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 121 (A) (wage war against the government of India), among other charges.
The terrorists were arrested just before three IPL teams arrived at the Ahmedabad Airport for the qualifier and eliminator games. In response, the airport’s security has been significantly increased.
Alarmingly, there have been multiple such incidents that have come to light in connection with the terrorist organization ISIS. In January, an Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student was arrested from Aligarh by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) for reportedly being involved in radicalizing youth through spreading ISIS ideology to establish the rule of Islam in the country, said senior police officials.
In October last year, Shahnawaz alias Shafi Uzzama, a suspected ISIS terrorist on the NIA’s most wanted list, was arrested by the Delhi Police. Shahnawaz was wanted in the Pune ISIS module case, with a Rs 3 lakh reward offered by the NIA for information leading to his capture.
(Featured Image Source: Hindustan Times)
