Waqas Ibrahim Ahmed visited Surat to set up sleeper cells

Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorist Waqas Ibrahim Ahmed — who was arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police — was entrusted with the responsibility of setting up and operating sleeper cells in Gujarat, said a state intelligence bureau official on Monday.

Waqas was nabbed on Saturday along with a Pakistani national, and his associates Mohammad Mahruf, 21, Mohammad Tasleem Raza, and Shaquib Ansari, 25, from different locations in Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

Known for his proximity to Yasin Bhatkal, Waqas had Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi as his prime target. According to the official, he had visited Surat twice to meet Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) members.

“During his stay in the Diamond City, he met several SIMI members and chose four youths for the sleeper cells to carry out terrorist activities before and during the Lok Sabha election. He also made them aware of the IM guidelines that come from the chief in Pakistan,” said the official.

Revealing further details, the official said: “With police and IB officials breathing down the neck in Gujarat, Bhatkal chose Rajasthan as a safe haven to supervise the sleeper cells in Gujarat. Waqas also prepared training plans and blueprints of attacks to be carried out in various places of the state. A list of Gujarat chief minister Modi’s public meetings was also available with him.”

Waqas — who planted a bomb in Zaveri Bazaar during the July 13, 2011 blasts in Mumbai — was never involved in any terrorist activity in the state. And due to this he was selected by Bhatkal to run the sleeper cells. He had also collected explosives in large quantity to carry out blasts in Gujarat, said the official.

Now, Gujarat IB and police officials are looking for SIMI members who were associated with Waqas and other IM terrorists. In 2008, Surat was a soft target for IM and Laskar-e-taiba.