17 December,2015 07:38 AM IST | | Agencies
Two suspected operatives of al-Qaeda were arrested from the national capital and Odisha yesterday
al-Qaeda operatives
New Delhi: Two suspected operatives of al-Qaeda were arrested from the national capital and Odisha yesterday.
Representation Pic/Thinkstock
While Mohammed Asif (41), believed to be one of the founding members and the Indian head (amir) of al-Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent's (AQIS) motivation, recruitment and training wing, was held from Seelampur in northeast Delhi, another operative Abdul Rahman (37) was arrested from Jagatpur area of Cuttack in Odisha, police said.
Rahman was arrested after a raid by a joint team of Delhi Police and Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police at his house in Paschimakachha village in Jagatpur area in the wee hours, Commissioner of Police R P Sharma told reporters in Bhubaneswar. The duo was been booked under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, said Special Commissioner (Special Cell) Arvind Deep in Delhi.
Police recovered three mobile phones, a laptop and other "incriminating articles", including documents of indoctrination and jihadi literature (authored by Maulana Umar) from Asif's possession.
Rahman is suspected to have international links in countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Dubai. Rahman, who is married and has three children, ran a madrasa at Tangi area near Cuttack.
His brother Tahir Ali was arrested in 2001 in connection with the terrorist attack on the American Centre in Kolkata, police said.
