LUCKNOW: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Lucknow on Monday sentenced three men to life imprisonment for allegedly conspiring to carry out bomb blasts in Uttar Pradesh at the behest of al-Qaeda’s India affiliate, Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
The convicts, Minhaz Ahmed and Maseeruddin alias Mushir from Lucknow, and Tawheed Ahmad Shah from Jammu & Kashmir, were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in July 2021. Police had then claimed they were planning suicide bombings in crowded public places across the state.
The case was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency for investigation. The three were produced before the court under heavy security during the hearing.
According to special public prosecutor Mithlesh Kumar Singh, the court found them guilty on multiple charges and awarded life imprisonment along with fines. The court held them guilty of “waging, or attempting to wage, war against the Government of India” and collecting arms with such intent.
They were also convicted under provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The prosecution examined 42 witnesses, while the defence produced five.
Defence counsel Mohammad Shoaib said they would challenge the verdict in a higher court.
According to the prosecution, the ATS had received intelligence that Umar Halmandi, who took over al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent after Asim Umar’s death in 2019, was recruiting and radicalising youths in Lucknow.
It was alleged that Halmandi, believed to be operating from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, had directed the accused to initiate terror operations in India. Acting on these instructions, the trio allegedly became part of a larger conspiracy, with Lucknow as their primary target, and procured arms, ammunition, and explosives.
At the time of their arrest, the ATS claimed to have recovered illegal weapons, explosives, and an improvised explosive device (IED) fitted into a pressure cooker from the residences of Minhaz and Maseeruddin.
During the investigation, the NIA found that Minhaz, who was active on social media, had come in contact with Tawheed Ahmad Shah. The two allegedly communicated regularly, with Shah introducing Minhaz and Maseeruddin to other operatives linked to the network.