Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested a 19-year-old man from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, in connection with an alleged online module linked to the ideology of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), officials said on Wednesday.
His arrest follows the detention of another accused, Mohammad Nabeel, from Azamgarh on Sept 12. Maqsood was arrested on Sept 14 and brought to Lucknow on transit remand.
During investigation and questioning, officers identified Maqsood as another alleged member, ATS said. ATS alleged Maqsood, Nabeel and others were part of a conspiracy to carry out violent “jihadist” activities. The accused, identified as Maqsood Ali, was arrested in Coimbatore with assistance from Tamil Nadu ATS. Nabeel, son of Mohammad Danish and a resident of Chitara Mahmoodpur village under Didarganj police station in Azamgarh, was arrested first. He was produced before a competent court and further legal proceedings are underway. Investigators further alleged Maqsood had come into contact with Pakistani hackers and was attempting to develop hacking tools, having learned Python, Java, coding and hacking skills through online resources including Instagram, YouTube, Telegram and WhatsApp groups.
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The agency said Maqsood developed a secure application called “CAPTAIN M NETWORK” with the motto “One Platform, One Motive — Unity, Plan and Action,” which was allegedly used to connect members. He was also said to have operated two WhatsApp accounts and to have been linked to groups named “UU Entry Gate”, “United Ummah”, “Gazwa-e-Hind”, “Team Black Hat” and “Lashkar-e-Mehndi”. ATS claimed the groups included Pakistani numbers and carried discussions on secure messaging tools and extremist content. Download the TOI App.
After verifying the inputs, ATS registered an FIR under Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Sections 18 and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.
With Maqsood’s arrest, two accused have been taken into custody in the case so far, the agency said. It received intelligence inputs indicating that a group of individuals was using social media platforms to form online groups and plan anti-national activities, according to UP ATS. Investigators said the individuals were purportedly influenced by the ideology of Al Qaeda-linked preacher Anwar al-Awlaki and were attempting to recruit young people through WhatsApp groups. The alleged plan included providing them training to become “mujahids”, including weapons-related training and fundraising, ATS claimed. The agency said the network included individuals from different parts of India and was also linked to foreign contacts.