UP ATS arrest Islamic State operative from Azamgarh, terror accused was planning to target RSS leaders

The Uttar Pradesh ATS foiled an alleged terror plot to target Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers with the arrest of IS operative in Azamgarh.
Uttar Pradesh Police

Uttar Pradesh Police (Representational photo - @bareillypolice)

Photo : Twitter
Lucknow: A major terror incident was averted ahead of Independence of Day with the arrest of an alleged Islamic State (IS) operative from Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district on Tuesday. Terror accused Sabahudeen Azmi was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He was assigned to target any big Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader.
The ATS sleuths recovered an illegal firearm and raw materials which are useful in preparing a bomb.
It was further revealed that the IS operative was in touch with two IS recruiters, namely Abu Umar and Abu Bakar Al-Shami.
Naveen Arora, Additional Director General (ADG), Uttar Pradesh ATS, informed that the terror accused was booked under IPC sections 121-A (waging war against the country), 122 (collecting arms with an intention to wage war against the country), 123 (concealing existence of a design to wage war against the country) and sections 13 and 18 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and 3/25 Arms Act for possession of illegal firearms.
The ATS sleuths said the accused was looking to indoctrinate more people into the IS fold through social media platforms and also created a telegram channel 'Al-Saqr Media' to brainwash Muslim youths.
The terror accused had created a fake e-mail ID and Facebook account to target RSS workers.
The UP ATS ADG informed that the accused was arrested while developing an intelligence input through a person in Amilo village of Azamgarh for propagating IS ideology, IANS reported.
Giving the details of the ATS operation, Arora said that Sabahudeen Azmi was brought to ATS headquarters in the state capital on Tuesday evening and during the course of interrogation he revealed that he first came in touch with one Bilal through Facebook, who further provided him with the contact number of Musa alias Kanab Kashmiri, also an IS member.
According to the ADG, the arrested IS operative was in touch with two ISIS recruiters, Abu Bakar Al-Shami from Syria and Abu Umar in Mauritania.
Al-Shami helped the arrested terror accused to prepare IEDs and bombs and asked him to prepare an ISIS-like organisation in India.
The Uttar Pradesh ATS top official said that the accused who was himself brainwashed by the IS recruiters was convinced to brainwash other Muslim youths to join the terror ranks and avenge "injustice to Muslims in Kashmir and other parts of the country".
The motive of the arrested IS operative was to establish an ISIS-like organisation and establish Islamic rule in India.
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