Assam Police Nabs Eight Terrorists; Bangladeshi Al-Qaeda Operative Among Those Arrested

GG News Bureau
Guwahati, 19th Dec. In a major counter-terrorism operation, Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF) apprehended eight terrorists, including a Bangladeshi national affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The arrests were made during simultaneous raids in Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam under ‘Operation Praghat.’

The Bangladeshi national, identified as Md Sad Radi alias Md Shab Seikh (32), reportedly entered India in November to activate sleeper cells in Assam and West Bengal before relocating to Kerala. The STF stated that Radi met with sleeper cells linked to the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, to plan targeted attacks on members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other Hindu organizations.

A Coordinated Crackdown

Assam Special DGP Harmeet Singh highlighted the success of the operation, which involved collaboration with central agencies and police forces from Kerala and West Bengal.

“This is a significant step in combating jihadi elements. We’ve managed to disrupt their plans and prevent violent subversive activities aimed at destabilizing the country,” Singh said. He noted that initial investigations revealed plans for assassinations and actions to incite communal discord.

The arrested individuals include:

1. Minarul Sheikh (40)
2. Md Abbas Ali (33)
3. Nur Islam Mandal (40)
4. Abdul Karim Mandal (30)
5. Mojibar Rahman (46)
6. Hamidul Islam (34)
7. Enamul Haque (29)

According to the STF, suspects like Nur Islam Mandal and Mojibar Rahman were actively recruiting youth in West Bengal and planning targeted attacks. Meetings in Murshidabad and Falakata discussed strategies for assassinating religious leaders to foment communal unrest.

Regional and National Threats

STF Chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta led the nationwide effort to arrest the suspects, stating that the scope of their activities extended beyond Assam and Bengal. “The movement of Sad Radi from Bengal and Assam to Kerala indicates the larger scale of their plans,” Singh added.