National investigation agency files charge sheet against suspected operative of al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent

NEW DELHI: The NIA on Friday filed a supplementary charge sheet in a special court here against an alleged operative of the al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) for his involved in a conspiracy for furthering the activities of the banned terrorist organisation in India, an official said.

Abu Sufiyan of West Bengal's Murshidabad has been charged under sections of the Explosives Substance Act, an official of the premier investigation agency said.

The case was registered in September last year against Murshid Hasan and other members of the AQIS module active in Delhi, West Bengal and Kerala who were in the advanced stage of a conspiracy to execute terrorist attacks in different parts of the country, the NIA official said.

Earlier, a charge sheet was filed against 11 accused, including Sufiyan, under various sections of the IPC, the UA(P) Act and the Arms Act in February.

Sufiyan was involved in the conspiracy with other co-accused for furthering the activities of AQIS in India, the NIA official said.

Earlier, during a search conducted at his premises in Murshidabad in 2020, various incriminating materials used for making bombs/IEDs were recovered, the official said.

He had gathered online the technical know-how about making bombs and purchased raw materials and created a storage dump in his house with the intention of fabricating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the NIA official said, adding that further investigation in the case underway.