Murshidabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested 9 suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists after multiple raids were carried out in Kerala and West Bengal. The agency informed that the raids were conducted in West Bengal's Murshidabad and Kerala's Ernakulam. The Al Qaeda operatives were allegedly planning a terror strike in various parts of the country at the behest of handlers from Pakistan.
Issuing a statement, the central government agency said, "NIA had learnt about an inter-state module of Al-Qaeda operatives at various locations in India, including West-Bengal and Kerala. The group was planning to undertake terrorist attacks at vital installations in India with an aim to kill innocent people and strike terror."
The NIA informed that six of the terrorists were arrested from Bengal, while three terrorists were arrested from Kerala in the early morning raids.
The NIA further informed that a large quantity of incriminating materials including digital devices, documents, jihadi literature, sharp weapons, country-made firearms, a locally fabricated body armour, articles and literature used for making home-made explosive devices have been seized from their possession. The agency further added that "these individuals were radicalised by Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places," including Delhi-NCR.
As per the initial investigation, the module was "actively indulging in fund-raising and a few members of the gang were planning to travel to Delhi to procure arms and ammunition, the NIA said.
The terrorists arrested today have been identified as Murshid Hasan, Iyakub Biswas, Mosaraf Hossen, Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman. They will be taken to courts in Kerala and Bengal to seek their police custody, the NIA added.