Terror module in Delhi, NCR: Suspects planning to establish ISIS caliphate, NIA tells court
NEW DELHI: Ten suspects arrested in a case involving a terror module in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh's Amroha were planning to establish an ISIS caliphate in the country by resorting to large-scale attacks in and around the National Capital Region, the NIA Friday told a Delhi court.
The agency made these claims in its charge sheet filed before Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar who listed the matter for consideration on July 4.
"They had named this module as 'Harkat-ul-Harb-E-Islam' (Movement for War of Islam). This group owed its allegiance to ISIS and wanted to establish an ISIS Caliphate in India by resorting to large scale terrorist attacks in and around the National Capital Region. The group carried out reconnaissance of some such locations in and around NCR," the agency told the court.
The accused named by the NIA -- Mohd Suhail (30), a mufti in a seminary in Amroha, Anas Younus (21), Zubair Malik (22), Rashid Zafar Raq (24), Saqib (26), Absar (24), Said (29), Gufran (25), Faiz (25) and Naim (22) -- hailed from Jafrabad in Delhi and Amroha, Hapur and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.
The charge sheet of over 5,000 pages was filed under sections of 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against government of India), 121A (punishment for offence under 121 IPC), 122 (collecting arms with intention of waging war against government of India) of IPC and under various sections of stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosives Substances Act and Arms Act.
The agency said that the investigation in the case was still on, and it may file a supplementary charge sheet.
The NIA had registered the case on December 20, 2018, on the allegation that the accused has formed an ISIS module with others to commit terror activities and the module is amassing weapons and explosives.
The group had carried out reconnaissance of some such locations in and around NCR, the agency said.
"Investigation has established that Suhail and other co-accused persons entered into a criminal conspiracy to wage violent jihad against the government of India by use of weapons and explosives to establish an ISIS caliphate in India."
"The module was being guided by three ISIS handlers based abroad. The module made extensive use of encrypted social media applications/chat platforms. These have been recovered from their mobile phones," the agency said.
It had conducted searches at 17 locations on December 26 last year in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, where 12 pistols, 163 assorted ammunition, one improvised missile launcher, 98 mobile phones, 25 kg of explosive chemicals, hardware/electronic materials including 120 alarm clocks to make IEDs, and incriminating books/material were seized from the premises of the accused.
Forensic reports on the seized chemicals and IED making material affirmed that these were sufficient to manufacture sophisticated IEDs, it said.
"The group wanted to manufacture IED, to be detonated by remote controlled devices, of more than 100-metre range.
A large number of e-books, messages in encrypted chats and detailed manuals issued by ISIS and affiliated terror entities for training in bomb-making, IED making and methods to inflict mass casualties have been recovered from the seized mobile phones," the agency said.
It added that mastermind of the group, Suhail, was also giving sermons to radicalise other members of the module wherein he exhorted them to offer themselves for the violent jihad against infidels in India.
"Two of the accused persons also recorded rehearsal video of their resolve to fight violent jihad that was to be published after their suicide attacks. The mobile phones of accused persons contain a high amount of ISIS propaganda material.
"These include execution videos, violent jihadi anthems, videos/audio proclaiming solidarity with Kashmiri terrorists, audio messages by an ISIS handler, and radicalisation sermons of Maulana Masood Azhar (chief of Jaish-e-Muhammad), Abdus Sami Qasmi (another accused in an NIA ISIS related case), and Asim Umar (alleged chief of al Qaida in Indian subcontinent)," the agency said.
One of the accused, Faiz, arrested in April, had arranged weapons and had even gone to Tral, Rajouri and Bandipora last year to "learn" weapons training from militants, the agency had said.
In December, the NIA along with police of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi carried out searches in Amroha, Delhi and other parts of the country.