Four Suspected Al-Qaeda-Linked Terrorists Arrested by Gujarat ATS

Gujarat’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has arrested four individuals suspected of having ties to the terror group Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), officials announced on Wednesday.

According to ATS Deputy Inspector General Sunil Joshi, a detailed press conference will be held soon to provide more information about the arrests and their connections to the terror outfit.

The four arrested terrorists have been identified as Mohd Faiq from Delhi, Mohd Fardeen from Ahmedabad, Sefullah Kureshi from Modasa (Aravalli district), and Zeeshan Ali from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, according to ANI reports.

NDTV reported that these individuals were allegedly involved in a fake currency racket while also promoting Al-Qaeda’s ideology. They reportedly used social media platforms and other apps to spread extremist messages. To avoid detection, the suspects used auto-delete apps to erase their communication history.

Officials revealed that the suspects had been under surveillance for some time due to their suspected links with Al-Qaeda and had established contact with the group through social media. The arrests followed coordinated intelligence efforts and surveillance operations based on specific inputs.

It’s not yet known if any weapons or explosives were found during the arrests.

These arrests come as part of India’s increased crackdown on terrorism, especially following the deadly attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22, which killed 26 people—most of them tourists.

In a related move, Counter Intelligence Kashmir (CIK) recently carried out raids at several locations across Kashmir, detaining 10 suspects. These operations took place in Budgam, Pulwama, Ganderbal, and Srinagar, according to police sources.