Two Al Qaeda-linked terrorists arrested in Assam's Goalpara, phones and SIM cards seized: Police

Goalpara district police in Assam said on Saturday that they had arrested two suspects with connections to the Bangladesh-based terrorist groups Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). 

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Two suspected terrorists linked with Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) were arrested by police in Goalpara district last night: Assam Police pic.twitter.com/Zzrqey91k2

— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2022

The arrested persons have been identified as Abdus Subhan and Jalaluddin Sheikh, both Imam of mosques in Goalpara. They have confessed to being members of AQIS and of recruiting sleeper cells in the district, SP VV Rakesh Reddy told reporters.

"We have gotten input in July this year from arrested Abbas Ali who is also linked with Jihadi elements. During the interrogation, we found that they were directly connected with Barpeta and Morigaon modules of AQIS/ABT in Assam," an official told ANI.

In addition to mobile phones, SIM cards, and ID cards, investigators also found a variety of damning material during house searches of the suspects, including posters, books, and papers relating to Al-Qaeda and Jihadi groups.

In the previous month of July, a total of 11 people, including six Madarsa instructors, were detained on suspicion of ties to terrorist organisations. They were taken into custody because of their claimed connections to international terrorist organisations including Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Ansarullah Bangla Team of Bangladesh (ABT).