Thane man held for alleged links with ISIS was planning lone-wolf attack in Maharashtra: Sources

Talah Potrick, the tenth man arrested for suspected links with terror outfit ISIS, was produced in the court on Sunday and remanded in police custody till February 5.

The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) on Saturday arrested a 24-year-old man, who was allegedly in touch with Mohammad Mazhar Shaikh, one of the nine men arrested on Wednesday for suspected links to terror outfit ISIS. The arrested accused, working under the name of Ummat-e-Mohammadiya, are suspected of hatching a plan to carry out a chemical attack in India by mixing poisonous substances in water and food at public gatherings.

One of the nine suspects held for alleged links with terror outfit ISIS being produced in a court at Aurangabad by Maharashtra ATS. (HT Photo)

According to ATS, Talah Potrick, a resident of Shil Daighar, was in touch with an ISIS handler in Syria since 2014. Potrick, a graduate and native of Khed district, met Mazhar Shaikh on several occasions. He was planning to conduct a lone wolf attack in the state. Sources claimed Potrick radicalised at least 12 people in Beed, Nanded and Khed district in the past four years.

ATS officials conducted searches at his homes in Mumbra and Khed and seized a laptop, tablet, hard disc, pen drives, router, mobile phones and some diaries. He was produced in the court on Sunday and remanded in police custody till February 5.

The suspects were under surveillance for two months, with agencies keeping an eye on areas in Aurangabad and Mumbra. Nine men – Salman Khan, 28, Fahad Ansari, 25, Zamen Kuttepadi, 32, Mohseen Khan, 32, Mohammad Mazhar Shaikh, 21, Taqui Khan, 20, Mohammed Sarfaraz Ahmed, 23, Mohammed Mushaihid -ul-Islam, 23, and a 17-year-old – were arrested on January 23.

The ATS official have recovered several videos of ISIS operatives Abu Musab-Al-Zarqawi, Anwar-Al- Awalaki, Abu Yahya-Al-Libi, Abu Yahya-Al-Adnani and chief Abu Bakar-Al- Baghdadi from Mohseen and Salman’s laptop that were used to radicalize youths. Salman focussed on Mumbra and Thane, while Mohseen on Aurangabad.