Four suspected Islamic State terrorists arrested at Ahmedabad airport

In a major crackdown on terrorist activities, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad on Monday arrested four Sri Lankan citizens associated with the banned Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group at the Ahmedabad airport.

The accused identified as 33-year-old Mohammad Nusrat, 27-year-old Mohammad Nufran, 35-year-old Mohammad Faaris and 45-year-old Mohammad Razdeen were allegedly planning to carry out terrorist activities in the state.

All four accused are Sri Lankan terrorists with Md Nusrat belonging to Negombo, while other three accused are from Colombo.

The arrests were made based on a tip-off received by ATS Dy SP Harsh Upadhyay on May 18, said Gujarat DSP Vikas Sahay while addressing a press conference. 

The four individuals were under surveillance as they travelled from Sri Lanka to Chennai and then to Ahmedabad via an Indigo flight, he said.

During interrogation, the ATS seized two mobile phones, passports, Sri Lankan currency and few Indian currency from the accused. During the initial investigation, it was also revealed that they had been in contact with a man named Abu from Pakistan who is an IS leader. Originally from Sri Lanka, Abu was in contact with the four accused and had arranged for 4 lakh Sri Lankan rupees to fund their terror activities.

Further investigation led to the discovery of a location in Ahmedabad where ammunition was stored. The ATS recovered three loaded pistols, 20 cartridges and an ISIS flag from the said location.

Interestingly, a FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Area) logo was found inscribed on the items, indicating a possible connection with Pakistan.

An FIR has been lodged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities prevention Act (UAPA), IPC and Arms Act. The investigation is led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Virjeet Parmar and further details are awaited.

This year, in March, two top-rung leaders of ISIS in India, identified as Harish Ajmal Farooqi alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi, a resident of Dehradun in Uttarakhand, and Anurag Singh alias Rehan, a resident of Panipat in Haryana were arrested near the international border after they crossed over from Bangladesh. 

In August last year, the ATS arrested three persons from Rajkot for their alleged links to Al Qaeda. The accused were believed to be working for a Bangladeshi handler to radicalize and recruit people for the banned terrorist organization.