Assam STF Detains Another Member of Bangladesh's Terror Organization in Chennai
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Synopsis
The Assam STF has arrested another member of the Ansarullah Bangla Team, a Bangladesh-based terror group, in Chennai, as part of Operation Praghat. This marks the 16th arrest related to the ABT. The detainee is linked to plots threatening national security.
Key Takeaways
- STF has made 16 arrests related to ABT.
- Abu Salam Ali apprehended in Chennai.
- ABT maintains ties to Al-Qaeda.
- Operation Praghat has been ongoing since November.
- Radical networks aim to disrupt national security.
Guwahati, Feb 13 (NationPress) The Assam Police's Special Task Force (STF), as part of its operation 'Praghat', has taken into custody an additional affiliate of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a terror organization from Bangladesh linked to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), from Chennai, officials reported on Thursday.
With this recent apprehension, the STF has now detained a total of 16 ABT members across Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
An Assam police spokesperson indicated that the STF, collaborating effectively with the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Police, initiated a rapid and well-coordinated operation in the early hours of Wednesday, successfully capturing a significant operative, Abu Salam Ali.
He was arrested in Chennai, under the jurisdiction of Semmencherry Police Station, marking yet another impactful blow against anti-national networks, the spokesperson added. The detainee is originally from Bilasipara in the Dhubri district of western Assam, which shares international borders with Bangladesh and inter-state borders with West Bengal.
The individual has been identified as an active participant in the ABT and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, maintaining close connections with previously apprehended members from Kokrajhar and Dhubri, who were also captured by the STF Assam for their roles in the same extremist investigation.
According to the spokesperson, since December 17 last year, Salam Ali had been evading law enforcement in an attempt to escape justice.
"Investigations have revealed that the arrested operative played a pivotal role in the conspiracy, collaborating closely with Nur Islam Mandal and Shahinur Islam to bolster extremist factions. Their objective was clear: to undermine national security, disturb peace, and jeopardize India’s sovereignty. This arrest signifies yet another meaningful advancement in dismantling the network of radical elements intent on sowing discord and threatening the nation's integrity," he stated.
As per STF sources, the 16 detainees, including Bangladeshi nationals, were operating under the guidance of Md Farhan Israk, a close ally of Jasimuddin Rahmani, the leader of the ABT.
"The ABT dispatched a Bangladeshi national, Md Sad Radi alias Md Shab Sheikh (32), a resident of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, to India to disseminate their sinister ideology among sympathetic individuals within the country," the sources noted.
He was apprehended in Kerala last December. "Evidence indicates that their activities were orchestrated to bolster and promote the operational capabilities of extremist groups aimed at destabilizing the country's security and sovereignty," the sources added.
"The investigation continues to uncover the entire nexus spreading across the nation," the spokesperson remarked.
He mentioned that under the leadership of STF Chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta, 'Operation Praghat' has been ongoing since November of last year.
Senior Assam Police officials previously disclosed that the eight arrested individuals were handlers based in Pakistan and Bangladesh. They were working to establish 'sleeper cells' in various regions of India, with plans to assassinate leaders from the Hindu community and RSS, in addition to carrying out violent and subversive acts within India, the officials stated.
