ATS arrests three Al-Qaeda 'associates' from Rajkot

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday said it has arrested three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives from Rajkot.

DIG ATS Deepan Bhadran told ET that the arrested youths are from West Bengal and are highly radicalised. "They were working in gold polishing units in Rajkot," Bhadran said, adding that one of the trio was in touch with a Jamatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB) operative Abdulla Talha, who was arrested by the Bangladeshi counter terrorism agency some days back.

JMB is aligned with Al-Qaeda and has been responsible for several terrorist attacks in Bangladesh and is proscribed both in Bangladesh and India. Similarly, the other two were also in touch with the operatives affiliated with Al-Qaeda who have been arrested earlier.


Police have recovered a semi-automatic pistol, 10 cartridges and radical literature from them. The youth have been identified as Aman, Abdul Shukur and Saif Nawaz.