NIA charges 5 terror group fugitives

NEW DELHI: In the first chargesheet by any Indian agency against the newly-formed global terror outfit Ansar-ul-Tawhid fi Bilad al Hind (AuT), NIA has charged around five fugitives belonging to the body.

The Af-Pak region-based outfit has been calling Indians to join global jihad and had even released various video messages on the internet of Islamic State (aka ISIS), including one by its chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi declaring war on India among other countries.

The outfit last week also released a series of messages claiming suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives Mohammed (Chhota) Sajid and Atif Ameen, killed in the 2008 Batla House encounter, to be their "martyrs" and declaring that they would avenge their killing.

NIA filed the chargesheet in a special court in Delhi naming 20 accused IM associates. Of these, at least five are suspected to be part of AuT and fighting in Af-Pak region. The AuT suspects include Mohammed (Bada) Sajid alias Junaid, Dr Shahnawaz Alam, Mirza Shadab Beg, Abdul Khadir Sultan Armar alias Sultan and Mohammed Shafi Armar alias Chhota Maula. Of these, Sultan had recently released a video through AuT's media wing Al Isabah Media Production. In the video, he called on Indian Muslims to join global jihad and fight against the "oppression of their brethren".

The chargesheet also mentions top IM operatives such as Pakistan-based Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal and Amir Reza Khan apart from arrested accused Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu, Ziaur Rehman alias Waqqas and Haidar Ali among others.