The sleuths of the Anti-Terrorists Squad claimed to have made further successes when they arrested a 19-year-old man for allegedly having links with terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed and being in touch with handlers in Pakistan and Afghanistan through social media.
The arrest of Habibul Islam alias Saifullah by the ATS comes close on the heels of the arrest of Mohammad Nadeem (25), an alleged terrorist linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed who was tasked with carrying out a 'fidayeen' attack on suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
"Based on the interrogation of Mohammad Nadeem, who was arrested from Saharanpur on Friday, a field unit of Kanpur has arrested Habibul Islam alias Saifullah (19). Habibul has admitted that he knows Nadeem and both are connected with terror link JeM," the ATS claimed here on Sunday.
“Following Nadeem's interrogation, Saifullah was brought from Fatehpur to Kanpur. He was later arrested. Saifullah admitted that he knew Nadeem and both of them were linked to JeM,” the UP ATS said in a statement on Sunday.
Indian and international links of Saifullah are being probed and he has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Additional Director General of Police (ATS) Naveen Arora said here on Sunday.
According to the police, Saifullah, who was residing in Fatehpur district, is a native of Bihar's Motihari district. “Saifullah is an expert in making virtual IDs and he provided around 50 of those to Nadeem as well as terrorists in Pakistan and in Afghanistan. He was linked to handlers in Pakistan and Afghanistan through various social media platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger,” the ATS said.
Saifullah is linked to various groups on social media which he used to share 'jihadi videos', the police alleged, adding that he used to send “jihadi videos to people to motivate them”.
The ATS has also alleged that a Pakistani handler of the JeM had asked Saifullah to come to Pakistan for “jihadi training” and then ‘carry out jihad in India”. A mobile phone, a SIM card and a knife have been seized from him, the ATS disclosed.
It may be noted that Mohammad Nadeem, who allegedly has links with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was arrested by the ATS from Saharanpur on Friday.
The ATS spokesman said, "Mohammad Nadeem, a resident of Gangoh in Saharanpur district, has been arrested. During interrogation Nadeem revealed that he was planning a 'fidayeen' attack on a government building or police premises."
He was also tasked to eliminate BJP suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma.