Indore, Madhya Pradesh. ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) has arrested Faizan Sheikh, a 34-year-old mechanic from Khandwa, on suspicion of planning a “lone wolf” attack on security personnel. The arrest was made following a raid on Sheikh’s residence in Kanhar Mohalla, Saluja colony, Khandwa.
IG-ATS Ashish stated that the accused had conducted a thorough reconnaissance for the attack and intended to make a name for himself through this act of terrorism.
The ATS recovered a significant amount of potentially incriminating material, including Jihadi literature related to various terrorist organisations such as the Indian Mujahideen (IM), ISIS, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, and others.
“We got reliable input that there is a person who is influenced by the ideology of the Indian Mujahideen (terrorist group) and is planning a big attack. We were working on this, and in this background, this morning a terrorist, Faizan Sheikh (age 34), a resident of Kanjar Mohalla, Khandwa, was arrested. He has been arrested under various other sections of the UAPA”, the Madhya Pradesh ATS official mentioned.
Additionally, four mobile phones, a pistol, and five live cartridges were seized from the scene.
“The seized mobile phones and digital devices contained extensive jihadi literature, videos, and images from terrorist organisations such as IM, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Sheikh was also found to be in contact with members of SIMI,” IG ATS added.
Sheikh was under ATS surveillance for some time due to his regular communication with members of the banned outfit, Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
His mobile devices contained videos and photos linked to various terrorist groups, including Indian Mujahideen, ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Membership forms of SIMI were also found during the raid.
The ATS revealed that Sheikh used his social media accounts, particularly Facebook, to propagate extremist ideologies and share content related to terrorist organisations. This included videos of Mujahideen training camps in Pakistan, speeches of Masood Azhar (Jaish-e-Mohammed) and Mullah Omar, posts related to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH), and even information about the Kandhar plane hijacking.
The state government has also informed the Intelligence Bureau about Sheikh’s arrest and the central agency will also investigate the matter.
