Rajkot (Gujarat): One of the three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives who were arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday, lived in Rajkot's Jetpur for five years, ATS officials said. "While interrogating Saif alias Shoaib Nawaz, it was found that he used to work in a gold polishing unit in Jetpur for five years before he shifted to Rajkot eight months ago," officials added.
In Jetpur, Saif was employed by Mohammad Kheruddin alias Seeraj Sheikh and Mohammad Shahabuddin Sheikh alias Shahabuddin, two brothers from West Bengal. In search of more money, Saif decided to move to Rajkot where he met other two suspects, Aman Malik and Shukra Ali. Aman and Shukra also worked as gold smiths in Rajkot's Soni Bazar. All three suspects hail from West Bengal, ATS officials said.
Earlier, during interrogation, it was found that the three individuals arrested for having alleged links to terrorist outfits Al-Qaeda, were planning to attack on the upcoming Janmashtami festival in Saurashtra. Their interrogation also revealed that Aman Malik used highly-encrypted messaging apps to keep in touch with their handler, who was the head of Al-Qaeda in Bangladesh.