The Gujarat Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) in a joint operation with Haryana police has arrested a 19-year-old terror suspect from Faridabad district in Haryana for allegedly conspiring an attack on Ram temple in Ayodhya after reportedly being radicalised by an IS Khurasan terror module.
According to UP ATS officials, Abdul Rehman was arrested from an abandoned house in Pali village, Faridabad. He hails from Manjnai village in Ayodhya’s Milkipur assembly constituency. Manjnai village is nearly 36km from Ram temple.
The investigators claim that Rehman had been radicalised by a handler linked to the IS Khurasan terror module. The authorities have reportedly recovered two hand grenades from his possession.
His family, now under continuous police surveillance, is struggling to come to terms with the arrest. “How could he be involved in terror activities? He has been suffering from heart disease since childhood and is not medically fit,” said Ashmin, Rehman’s mother while speaking to the media in their village.
The woman confirmed that Rehman left for Delhi on March 1 with another villager, Khurshid, after receiving a call from an unknown friend on February 28. “He was in such a hurry that he didn’t even wait for a confirmed train reservation and boarded one without a ticket on Saturday. Later, on Sunday night, police visited our house, collected some of his belongings and took my husband’s mobile phone,” Ashmin said.
Rehman’s father, Abu Bakar, who runs a small meat shop outside their home in the village, also expressed shock at the allegations. He said that his son had informed them about his trip to Delhi, but he was unaware of how he ended up in Faridabad.
{{/usCountry}}Rehman’s father, Abu Bakar, who runs a small meat shop outside their home in the village, also expressed shock at the allegations. He said that his son had informed them about his trip to Delhi, but he was unaware of how he ended up in Faridabad.
{{/usCountry}}A senior ATS official said that Rehman had conducted reconnaissance of the Ram temple weeks before his arrest, allegedly with the intention of targeting it. “We are cross-checking the facts and continuing our investigation,” the officer said, adding that his family has remained under police watch since Sunday.
The Gujarat ATS has taken Rehman to Ahmedabad for further questoning.