Bhopal:

In a significant breakthrough, the Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested an alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorist who was planning a lone wolf attack on personnel from the security forces, officials said on Thursday. 

Faizan Sheikh, 34, was arrested from Kanhar Mohalla in Khandwa’s Saluja colony after a raid on his residence. 

During the raid, ATS officers seized a substantial amount of jihadi literature related to the Indian Mujahideen (IM), ISIS, and other terrorist organisations. They also recovered a pistol, five live cartridges, four mobile phones and membership forms for the banned organisation Student’s Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

“The seized mobile phones and digital devices contained jihadi literature, videos, and photos from various terrorist organisations, including IM, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Faizan was also found to be in contact with members of SIMI,” said an official. 

He added that Faizan had been using social media, particularly Facebook ID, to propagate the ideologies of IM and ISIS. The 34-year-old circulated videos from Mujahideen training camps in Pakistan, speeches by Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba, details about the Kandahar plane hijacking, statements by Mullah Omar, and posts related to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH).

“Faizan had been meticulously planning a lone wolf attack, monitoring and tracking the movements of security force personnel and their families. His objective was to emulate terrorists like Yasin Bhatkal of Indian Mujahideen and SIMI chief Abul Fazal, aspiring to gain recognition. To execute his plan, Faizan was also in the process of acquiring more pistols and cartridges through connections with local illegal arms dealers and individuals from outside the state,” the official said. 

ATS Inspector General Dr Ashish said, “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, the state has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and anti-national activities. The arrest is part of an ongoing effort to maintain heightened surveillance across Madhya Pradesh.”

Faizan has been charged under sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. 

The ATS has taken Faizan on remand for interrogation, aiming to uncover information about his associates and details of his plans.

Over the past three years, the Madhya Pradesh ATS has successfully arrested 22 people associated with the Popular Front of India, six with ISIS, six with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), 16 with Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), and 55 other suspected terrorists. 

The ATS has also seized a substantial quantity of arms, ammunition, anti-national literature, objectionable documents, and digital equipment from these individuals.

Between 2005 and 2013, IM was involved in multiple bomb blasts across India, including in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune. In Madhya Pradesh, IM co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal has established a robust network of members, focusing on recruitment and training.