NIA to take arrested Al-Qaeda terrorists to New Delhi today

Two among the nine Al Qaeda terrorists arrested by NIA on Saturday in Kochi were taken to New Delhi on Sunday after COVID-19 test. The terrorists who stayed in Kochi, living in the guise of migrant workers, were planning for an Al-Qaeda model attack.

Ernakulam: The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court at Ernakulam remanded three Al-Qaeda operatives - Murshid Hasan, Mosaraf Hoseen and Yakub Biswas - arrested on Saturday by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The court said that they are remanded and their custody is entrusted with Shankar Brata Raimedhi, SP/CIO, NIA, New Delhi from yesterday 5 pm till 11 am on September 22.

The CIO has been directed to produce the accused before the Court of Special Judge for NIA Cases at Patiala House Court New Delhi on or before the date of the expiry of the custody. The accused were produced before a magistrate in Kochi on Saturday also and a transit warrant was issued. The COVID-19 tests of the accused were done. They were staying in Kochi posing as migrant workers engaged in construction works.

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According to NIA, arrested terrorists were planning for an Al-Qaeda model attack. They also planned to travel to Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi as per the instructions of the Al Qaeda commander in Pakistan. Laptops, jihadi literature were seized from their possession.

Meanwhile, weapons were seized from the terrorists arrested in Bengal. The intelligence earlier received information that Al Qaeda was planning to carry out large scale terror attacks in various parts of the country. The investigation team is now examining whether the arrested group has been deployed for this purpose. The NIA nabbed the terrorists in a secret operation after monitoring their interactions in social media.