The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) recently apprehended Mohammad Raza, the purported ringleader of a group aiming to establish a “Mujahideen Army” with intentions to overthrow the Indian government through violent jihad and enforce Sharia law, as per officials’ statements on Tuesday.
Hailing from Andauli in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh but presently residing in Mallapuram, Kerala, Raza was arrested on September 29 and transported to Lucknow under a transit remand.
ATS identified Raza as the head of the faction aspiring to implement Sharia law in India. Prior to his arrest, four other members of the group, namely Akmal Raza, Safeel Salmani also known as Ali Razvi, Mohammad Tausif, and Qasim Ali, had been apprehended and remanded to judicial custody.
The group, under the influence of radical Pakistani organizations, was allegedly raising funds for weapon procurement and planning targeted assassinations of prominent non-Muslim religious figures, the ATS reported. Funds for these activities were being funneled into Raza’s account, while the group conducted meetings at various locations and utilized social media to disseminate extremist ideologies.
The ATS further stated that intelligence indicated individuals from different districts in Uttar Pradesh, swayed by radical Pakistani groups, were scheming to subvert the democratically elected Indian government through violent jihad and enforce Sharia law by coercion.
Describing Mohammad Raza as the central figure in the “comprehensive criminal and anti-national plot,” the ATS informed that he would be presented before the relevant Special Court in Lucknow following the transit remand process.
In initial interrogations, the four detained individuals confessed to planning “jihad against kafirs” in response to perceived injustices against Muslims and aiming to instate Sharia law within the nation. Their activities involved radicalizing individuals, procuring jihadi literature, and spreading extremist propaganda.