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The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested four terrorists with alleged links to Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), officials said on Wednesday.
The suspects were accused of using Instagram to incite jihad, spread anti-India propaganda, and promote terrorism, officials said. The arrests were made on 21 and 22 July 2025 from Ahmedabad, Modasa, Delhi, and Noida, after the ATS acted on a tip received on June 10, regarding multiple Instagram accounts involved in extremist activity, said the release. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Harsh Upadhyay, intelligence revealed that the Instagram accounts were used to spread inflammatory content and AQIS propaganda, calling for violence against non-believers and Indian democratic institutions. The arrested accused have been identified as Mohd Faiq from Delhi, Mohd Fardeen from Ahmedabad, Sefullah Kureshi from Modasa in Aravalli, and Zeeshan Ali from Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Mohd Faiq, who was arrested from the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi, has had a search conducted at his residence. Delhi Police left his house along with the members of his family. The Delhi Police will now interrogate his parents as well and gather information. The officials said that the suspects actively shared content promoting "Ghazwa-e-Hind", a radical ideology aiming to establish a Sharia-based Caliphate in India. They encouraged armed rebellion against the Indian government and were allegedly trying to attract youth toward terrorism. "During the search, AQIS literature, a sword, and videos promoting jihad and violence were recovered from the possession of the accused," ATS said. One video recovered from Fardeen Shaikh's phone showed him waving the sword and chanting, "This was the only thing missing; now it's complete. Allahu Akbar." ATS said that similar jihadi videos and fatwas for armed rebellion were found on the phones of all four accused. The ATS also discovered that Mohammad Faiq had been collaborating with Pakistani Instagram handles such as gujjar_sab.111 and M Salauddin Siddiqui 1360, further amplifying the threat. The arrests were made by coordinated teams of the Gujarat ATS under the supervision of SP K. Siddharth, with support from central agencies, the Delhi Police, the Delhi Special Cell, and the UP ATS. The ATS registered a case under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967--Sections 13, 18, 38, 39, and sections 113, 152, 196, and 61 of the Indian Penal Code, 2023. Officials said, "All four accused have been granted 14-day police remand" for further investigation. The ATS also initiated a probe into 25 additional suspicious accounts, and data from 62 related Instagram profiles is being analysed. Further Investigations are still ongoing. (ANI)
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