The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad has claimed that it has arrested “two suspected ISIS terrorists”, Abdullah Arsalan, 26, and Maaz Bin Tariq, 25, from Aligarh, and has brought them to the ATS headquarters in Lucknow for questioning.
The duo was allegedly “planning terror activities” across the state, according to the police
Arsalan is a B.Tech in petroleum chemical engineering from a private university, while Tariq is pursuing a B.Com degree through distance learning.
Special Director General (Law and Order), Prashant Kumar, claimed that both the accused were inspired by ISIS ideology and were taking instructions from their ISIS handlers to carry out terror activities in the state.
“They were collecting material and planning some strike,” Kumar added.
The ATS claimed it recovered propaganda material related to ISIS and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) from the duo’s pen drives.
The ATS claimed that Arsalan and Tariq’s names came to light after the arrest of Shahnawaz Alam and Rizwan Ashraf by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. They were associated with the Students of Aligarh Muslim University.
“Some members of this students’ body are sympathisers of ISIS,” the ATS added.
Alam and Ashraf were “self-radicalized and had disclosed that they were planning attacks in Ayodhya, Delhi’s Akshardham and Chabad House in Mumbai on October 2”.
Based on their confession, another team member, Rizwan Ashraf, an engineer was held. Ashraf was allegedly in communication with a foreign-based handler and remaining members of the module and had taken a pledge to join ISIS.
“From the memory of the electronic devices recovered from the accused, anti-national ideology and literature of banned ISIS and AQIS were found,” the ATS claimed.
The ATS added that Arsalan and Tariq were arrested and presented before the local court, where they were sent to 14 days judicial custody.
“We have asked the court for a custody remand of the accused so that more information can be obtained regarding the network of the accused through detailed interrogation and their associates can be arrested,” a senior ATS officer said.
(with IANS inputs)
