Ahmedabad: In a major breakthrough ahead of Independence Day, the Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested four terrorists linked to al-Qaeda.
The quartet — identified as Mohd Faiq, Mohd Fardeen, Sefullah Qureshi and Zeeshan Ali – was reportedly working for Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and accused of running a fake currency racket while spreading the banned terror group’s ideology through social media.
Faiq, the mastermind, was nabbed from Delhi.
Gujarat ATS said at a press conference that the terrorists wanted to establish Shariyat in India by replacing democracy.
“Gujarat ATS uncovered a terror module linked to Pakistan via Instagram. Four suspects, including mastermind Mohammad Faiq from Delhi, were arrested for radicalising youth, promoting jihad, and planning anti-national activities. Swords, Al-Qaeda material, and incriminating posts were seized. Joint efforts by Delhi Police, UP ATS, and central agencies led to their 14-day remand. Funding links are under investigation,” said ATS DIG Sunil Joshi.
#WATCH | Gujarat ATS arrested four terrorists with links to AQIS (Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent). The four have been identified as Mohd Faiq r/o Delhi, Mohd Fardeen r/o Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Sefullah Kureshi r/o Modasa (Gujarat) and Zeeshan Ali r/o Noida (UP). pic.twitter.com/IyFutWglUi
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2025
According to police, the accused have been associated with the terror group for a long time, and came under ATS radar after they were detected discussing terror activities in the state.
The accused used an auto-delete apps to clean any trace of their communication footprint, NDTV reported.
Ameen Qureshi, brother of the one of the accused Sefullah, told PTI that the family had no idea what about his involvement with Al Qaeda as his behaviour at home was always normal, and he seemed very happy.
Two years ago, Gujarat ATS had arrested four persons, allegedly linked to Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), from Porbandar and Surat.