The two terror suspects from an Al-Qaeda affiliated group, arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) around last week, were planning a massive attack for which they were “very much” in touch with the Pakistani and Kashmiri handlers, sources have told News18.
The UP ATS has recovered a series of videos from the social media account of arrested Saddam Sheikh, 38, where he was being trained for a major attack. Most videos pointed that a mass attack was being planned where trucks would be used as a weapon.
UP ATS arrested Rizwan Khan, 23, and Sheikh from Lucknow on July 2. Both the suspects were the members of the terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an al-Qaeda affiliated Islamist militant group.
“Both Rizwan and Saddam, who seemed to be highly radicalised, were preparing themselves psychologically for the attack. Rizwan was in touch with his handlers in Pakistan and Kashmir while Saddam was being trained for the lone wolf attack in which he was planning to use his vehicle as a lethal weapon,” said Naveen Arora, additional director general, ATS.
Arora said Saddam was inspired by the al-Qaeda module and used to watch a series of videos of the terror attacks where trucks were involved. Though their targets were still not clear. Arora said their social media accounts are being scanned in order to get maximum information and the interrogation is still on.
Sources with the UP ATS further said Rizwan was quite active on social media, especially on Facebook and Messenger, shared posts related to ‘Kashmir freedom’ and its merger with Pakistan. A note, which read ‘Jihad ki Rah Par Apni Baari Ka Intezaar’, also found on him, sources added.
Besides, the officials said they also recovered a note in which Rizwan had expressed his willingness to go for a weapon training.
Mass attacks were witnessed in France and Germany in 2016. During the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice in France on July 14, 2016, a 19-tonne cargo truck was deliberately rushed into the crowd drenched in festivities, crushing 86 people to death and leaving 434 grievously injured. The driver was Mohammed Lahouaiej- Boughlel, a Tunisian living in France.
A few months later, on December 19, 2016, more or less a similar incident was witnessed in Germany when a truck was rammed into a crowded market in Berlin, leaving 12 dead. The perpetrator Anis Amri was killed in a shootout with the police in Milan, four days after.
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