Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, Jul 23: In a major counter-terrorism breakthrough, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested four men accused of operating an online radicalisation network allegedly backed by Al-Qaeda. The network, according to officials, was engaged in spreading extremist propaganda, glorifying terrorism, and inciting violence through social media and encrypted messaging apps.
The arrested individuals have been identified as:
• Mohammad Faiq Rizwan from Delhi
• Mohammad Fardeen Rais from Ahmedabad’s Fatehwadi
• Saifullah Qureshi Rafiq from Modasa (Gujarat)
• Zeeshan Ali Asif Ali from Noida
ATS officials revealed that the four were part of a covert digital cell promoting radical Islamist ideology, specifically supporting pro-Al-Qaeda content, and advocating for the establishment of Sharia law in India.
The crackdown followed a June 10 tip-off that flagged suspicious Instagram handles — Mujahideen 1 and Mujahideen 3. Surveillance and digital forensics, led by ATS DIG Sunil Joshi, exposed a stream of inflammatory literature and speeches — some by a deceased terrorist named Umar, believed to have been killed in Afghanistan.
Investigators allege that Zeeshan Asif was the primary disseminator of this content in both English and Urdu, aimed at radicalising Indian youth. At Rais’s Fatehwadi residence, ATS seized a sword and multiple digital devices. Initial analysis of seized data has also revealed communications with individuals in Pakistan, pointing to possible cross-border connections.
The group used auto-deleting and encrypted applications to avoid surveillance. Digital footprints indicated efforts to track security movements within Gujarat and forge connections with extremist networks.
Authorities say the accused were attempting to widen their influence across India, using online platforms to lure and indoctrinate vulnerable individuals. The four have been booked under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) — Sections 13, 18, 38, and 39 — as well as Sections 113, 152, 196, and 61 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
They have been remanded to 14-day police custody as the ATS expands its probe into their online activities, encrypted communications, and potential international linkages. Officials say more arrests are likely as digital evidence is analysed and network connections traced.