The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Jharkhand Police has arrested more than half a dozen members of a sleeper cell associated with Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
According to sources, midnight raids were conducted early on Thursday at 14 locations across Ranchi, Lohardaga, Hazaribagh, and Godda districts in Jharkhand, leading to the arrests of the suspected terrorists.
Acting on intelligence regarding AQIS sleeper cell activities in the state, the Jharkhand ATS carried out simultaneous raids at these locations, resulting in the arrest of seven individuals.
This marks the first time that the ATS has recovered weapons from suspected terrorists during a raid in Jharkhand. Sources indicate that automatic weapons were among the items seized.
According to reports, Jharkhand Police, in collaboration with the Intelligence Bureau (IB), received information that a significant network of Al Qaeda was being established in the state.
A police official from Lohardaga stated that the ATS team raided Henjala in the Kudu police station area of Lohardaga district, where one terrorist was arrested along with two weapons.
The arrested individuals are currently being interrogated, and it is expected that the ATS will soon disclose further details about the operation. However, official confirmation of the arrests is still pending.
AQIS is reportedly linked to the Ansarullah Bangla Team, a terrorist organization. AQIS, a branch of the banned terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, was established in 2014 and is known to be active in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Burma, and Bangladesh.
The group aims to wage jihad to establish an Islamic state. The individuals associated with AQIS in Jharkhand were allegedly working to spread terror, radicalise like-minded youth, and recruit them to wage war against India. Their ultimate goal is to overthrow the democratically elected government and implement 'Ghazwa-e-Hind' in India.
All the arrested terrorists were reportedly involved in furthering this agenda.
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