Mufti Mohd Suhail alias Hazrath (29), mastermind of the Amroha based ISIS-inspired terror module busted on Wednesday, was radicalised online by a foreign handler in last seven months, said UP Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) officials.

The revelations were made hours after the NIA, along with UP ATS and Delhi police, carried out searches at 11 locations in UP, including 6 in Amroha, 2 in Lucknow, 2 in Hapur and 1 in Meerut. During raids huge quantities of explosive material, arms and ammunition and other incriminating material and documents were seized.

In Lucknow, ATS officials revealed that Hazrath was in constant touch with the foreign handler and was also involved in mobilizing other members as well as generating funds through different sources to carry out terror activities.

“Suhail was in touch with a terror-handler based outside the country through social media and instant messaging applications. Suhail, along with other members of the module, was preparing to launch a string of terror attacks targeting politicians, key locations and crowded places,” said a senior ATS official associated with the probe.

Suhail, along with his three accomplices Raees, Saeed and Irshad, was arrested from different places in Amroha while one Saqib Iftekar was arrested from Hapur. The remaining five people were arrested from Delhi. Raees and Saeed are brothers.

Sharing more details, the official said Suhail has done his ‘mufti’ course from a Deoband madrasa in Saharanpur and was presently staying in Delhi.

“But he frequently used to visit his place in Amroha to build up his group. He had roped in Raees and Saeed, who own a welding shop in Amroha, to make rocket launchers, improvised explosive devices (IED) and pipe bombs that he learned through literature shared by his foreign handler through social media platform,” said the official.

He said Saqib, who was working as Imam in Jama Masjid of Bakasar, was tasked with roping in more youngsters and generating funds.

It was Saqib who had helped Suhail in procuring weapons. He said the fifth member, Irshad, is an auto-rickshaw driver and helped Suhail in arranging a hideout for keeping the material for making IEDs and bombs.

List of seized items

25 kg of explosive material, such as Potassium Nitrate, Ammonium Nitrate, Sulphur, Sugar material paste, 12 pistols, 150 rounds of live ammunition, 1 country- made rocket launcher, 112 alarm clocks, mobile phone circuits, batteries, 51 pipes, remote control car triggering switch, wireless digital doorbell for remote switch, steel containers, electric wires, 91 mobile phones, 134 SIM cards, 3 laptops, knife, sword, ISIS-related literature and a cash amount of Rs 7.5 lakhs approximately.

First Published: Dec 27, 2018 11:11 IST