Glasgow bomber’s kin in net, may reveal Qaida’s India plans

NEW DELHI: An alleged member of al-Qaida in Indian subcontinent (AQIS), Syed Mohammed Zeshan Ali, has been arrested by Delhi police upon his arrival here after being deported from Saudi Arabia.
DCP, special cell, Pramod Kushwaha, confimed the arrest of Ali, who hails from Jamshedpur. Ali was radicalised by “freelance radicaliser” Abdur Rehman, and left for Saudi Arabia in 2015.He was arrested later that year. Cops believe the arrest of Zeshan will provide crucial leads about his aides and also about the infiltration and expanse of AQIS in India and neighbouring countries.
In November 2015, an AQIS module was busted and it came to the fore that a man from Sambhal, Asim Umar, had been appointed as outfit’s emir. In all, 12 suspects were identified during interrogation. Zeshan is married to the sister of Dr Sabil and Dr Kafeel. Dr Kafeel was a terrorist who blew himself in an attack at Glasgow airport in 2007. Dr Sabil was arrested but released. He too has moved to Riyadh. Zeshan’s brother Aasyaan, also wanted in the AQIS case, is believed to have migrated to Syria to fight for the IS.
According to Kushwaha, Zeshan was an integral part of AQIS. In Saudi Arabia, Zeshan got in touch with Lashkar-e-Toiba recruiters and was trying to assemble a team for AQIS by radicalising immigrants. He had two ‘covers’, one as a mobile phone salesman and other a private job.
Agencies believe Zeshan was closer to Lashkar, and was looking at LeT and Pakistan’s ISI for support. Interestingly, Indian agencies believe AQIS is actually run by ISI, with its head Asim Umar said to be in ISI custody. “AQIS is really a wing of LeT, managed entirely by the ISI,” said a sleuth.
In 2015, the special cell had arrested one Mohd Asif and recovered three phones, a laptop and other incriminating articles. He claimed he was one of the founding members of AQIS and Indian amir of its recruitment. Later four more cadres of this outfit — Abdur Rehman, Abdul Sami, Syed Anzar Shah and Jaffar Masood — were arrested. Rehman had allegedly met LeT brass, including Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur-Rehman Lakhvi, and planned to launch a group like Jamaat-ud-Dawa in India to recruit terrorists.