A sleeper cell linked to Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, planned attacks on the strategically vital Siliguri Corridor. The arrest of eight members across multiple states has prompted a security alert in Northeast India.
Guwahati: West Bengal police have uncovered a sleeper cell of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, plotting to attack the crucial Siliguri Corridor, which connects the northeastern states to the rest of India. The revelation has put authorities across Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and other northeastern states on high alert, due to the strategic importance of the corridor.The arrested suspects, eight members of the terror outfit from Kerala, Assam, and West Bengal, were detained by the Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF). This group is part of a broader transnational network connected to the banned ABT, a faction of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen.wo key arrests took place in Murshidabad, West Bengal, on December 18, as part of a joint operation between Assam and West Bengal police forces. The arrested individuals were Minarul Sheikh, a pump mechanic, and Md Abbas Ali, who has a criminal background. The operation uncovered mobile phones, documents, and a 16GB pen drive, which are being examined by the STF.Gaurav Sharma, Inspector General of West Bengal STF, emphasized that the group aimed to exploit local vulnerabilities to recruit youth and destabilize the region. The mastermind behind the plot, Farhan Ishrat, is believed to have sent a Bangladeshi operative, Saad Radi, to organize the recruitment across Kerala, Assam, and West Bengal before his arrest.Supratim Sarkar, Additional Director General of Police (ADG) for South Bengal, confirmed that the terror group’s intention was to turn the Siliguri Corridor into a base for future operations. As investigations unfold, authorities remain focused on uncovering more details about the network’s plans and its connections to extremist activities in the region.
Comments are closed.