Two Lucknow men get 20 months jail for involvement in Al Qaeda linked terror conspiracy case

A special NIA court sentenced two Lucknow residents to 20 months in prison for their involvement in a terror conspiracy linked to Al Qaeda.

A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has convicted two more accused involved in a terror conspiracy hatched by banned Al Qaeda and sentenced them to jail terms of 20 months, an official statement on Saturday said.

An NIA court convicted two Lucknow men in Al Qaeda terror conspiracy case, sentencing them to 20 months in prison. (ANI Photo) (naeem ansari)

A fine of ₹5,000 each has also been imposed on Mohd Mustaqueem and Shakeel, both residents of Lucknow, it said.

Earlier, on October 30, the court had convicted Mohammad Moid of Lucknow in the same case, related to the arrest of two Al Qaeda members.

The arrest by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad had taken place on July 11, 2021 on the basis of information that Al Qaeda member Umar Halmandi was involved in radicalisation and recruitment of members for AQIS (Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent) in Lucknow, the statement said.

"Umar, who was based at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was operating in Lucknow with the aim of preparing youth to carry out terrorist acts before Independence Day 2021 in various cities of Uttar Pradesh, it was found during the probe in the case," it said.

Following investigation, the NIA had filed one main and one supplementary charge sheet against a total of six arrested accused persons in the case.