BENGALURU: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Internal Security Division (ISD), Karnataka police on Saturday ‘arrested’ a software engineer for alleged links to the banned terrorist organisation -- al Qaeda -- from the City.
According to informed sources, Mohammed Arif (40) from Uttar Pradesh (UP), who is living in Bengaluru, was allegedly "active on social media and was in contact with the Taliban and Al Qaeda."
They added that Arif was reportedly planning to leave the country to go to Syria via Iran on March 10 and had bought his tickets.
The NIA and ISD in a joint operation arrested Arif from his rented house in Manjunath Layout, 1st Main, 5th Cross, Thanisandra Main Road on Saturday morning and seized his passport, air tickets, laptop and some incriminating documents. The operation concluded around 11.45am.
"He is being questioned by the agencies," said sources.
Arif is married and is living in Bengaluru with his wife and their two children.
In August last year, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on a tip-off from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had arrested Akhtar Hussain -- an allegedly highly radicalized youth from Assam -- in South Bengaluru and his associate Adil alias Zuba from Salem in Tamil Nadu in a joint operation. According to informed sources, Akhtar and Zuba were reportedly "identified by the AQ for global jihad."