Bengaluru: NIA arrests terror suspect linked to Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent

A suspected terrorist with links to Al Qaeda, a banned terror outfit, was detained in Bengaluru following a joint operation by ISD and NIA. The security agencies suspect that Arif was in contact with the Al Qaeda terrorist organisation for the past two years.

Bengaluru (Karnataka): The Internal Security Department (ISD) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a joint operation detained a terror suspect with alleged links to Al Qaeda from Manjunatha Nagar in Thanisandra limits of the city on Saturday morning. The accused identified as Arif was an employee of a software company in Bengaluru and was currently working from home.

The security agencies suspect that Arif was in contact with the Al Qaeda terrorist organisation for the past two years. He was active on Telegram and on other groups related to Al Qaeda. The NIA has been keeping an eye on the movements of the accused. The agency conducted a joint operation along with the police of the State Internal Security Department and detained the accused who was preparing to go to Syria through Iraq in March.

Earlier, the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a suspected terrorist from Saharanpur. The accused was identified as Azharuddin alias Chiraguddin, a resident of Saharanpur, who used to provide "Jehadi videos and literature" to youths in a bid to radicalize them. He was actively working to make the youth connect with the ideology of terror organisations AQIS (Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent) and JMB (Jamaat ul Mujahideen Bangladesh).