A Libyan national is among the two accused named in the charge-sheet filed by the NIA in a Mumbai Special Court in the sensational ISIS terror conspiracy busted by it in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (erstwhile Aurangabad).
In its charge-sheet filed before the NIA special court, the central investigating agency named Mohammed Zoheb Khan of Maharashtra, who was arrested in February this year, and Libya-based Mohammed Shoeb Khan as the key conspirators in the terror plot linked with a module in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to the ISIS’ global networks.
“The accused persons had conspired to endanger the safety and security of India, its secular ethos and culture, and the democratic systems of governance,” the NIA stated its charge-sheet, alluding to the findings in its investigations.
Together, Zoheb and Shoeb had conspired to recruit vulnerable youth to carry out terror attacks at sensitive installations across India.
The charge-sheet has exposed international linkages between the accused in the conspiracy and the handlers of ISIS/ IS.
The NIA probe has already revealed the web of anti-India activities involving Zoheb and Shoeb, who had taken ‘bayath’ (pledge of allegiance) towards the self-anointed Khalifa of ISIS. They were also actively involved in developing a website to promote extremist and violent ideology of ISIS. They had also allegedly planned to attract youth from across the world into the ISIS fold through their website.
The investigations by the NIA have revealed that after targeting India with a series of terror strikes, Zoheb and Shoeb had planned to flee to either Turkey or Afghanistan.
According to the investigations, Zoheb had already formed a WhatsApp group having more than 50 youth from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with the intention to radicalise them further, recruit them and then further the ISIS’ nefarious activities in India.
Both Zoheb and Shoeb were exchanging videos pertaining to manufacture of explosives and fabrication of IEDs for the planned terror strikes.
The duo had also prepared a detailed plan of action, which included planning, preparing and executing terror hits at multiple locations in India, and the follow-up action in the aftermath.