The first ISIS module busted by the security agencies in Ratlam last month had plans to target RSS and the BJP leaders and police officers. In an IB-led operation backed by sustained investigation and follow up of leads, the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested Imran Khan, Waseem, Rizwan and Anwar Qureshi, all residents of Ratlam, who were radicalised over the internet during the last one year by one Yousuf-al-Hindi.
"This group was being persuaded to carry out terrorist strikes in India by targeting Police Officers, BJP/RSS leaders etc. outside Madhya Pradesh. Yousuf was guiding this group through cyber chat, "the IB report said.
When Yousuf started interacting with this group, he was based in Afghanistan-Pakistan border but recently shifted to Syria. While the correct identity of Yousuf is not yet fully established, he is suspected to be either Sultan Armar or Shafi Armar (both brothers and residents of Bhatkal in Karnataka) who were active members of Indian Mujahideen and had escaped to Karachi in 2009-10.
"On instructions from Yousuf, the group had acquired two pistols and was also being guided on how to assemble xIEDs from locally available explosives," the Intelligence Bureau report said.
Imran Khan, the local leader of the group, had traveled to Dubai on five occasions during 2003-08 and once to Saudi Arabia in 2014. While the arrests of Imran, Waseem and Rizwan were made mid-April onwards, Anwar was nabbed on May 2.
While individual Muslim youths were getting attracted from certain States to the Islamist agenda of ISIS, this is the first time that an organized group was being tutored by the international terror group to carry out terror strikes within the country.