Suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist chargesheeted by Delhi police

Suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist Zeeshan Ali was today charged by Delhi Police with conspiring to recruit people for terror activities.
For representational purposes (File | PTI)
For representational purposes (File | PTI)

NEW DELHI: Suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist Zeeshan Ali was today charged by Delhi Police with conspiring to recruit people for terror activities.

The allegations were made by the police before Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma who was informed that Ali, a native of Jharkhand who was deported from Saudi Arabia last August, had made provocative speeches to recruit Indian youths with a purpose to establish a base for the terror outfit here.

The agency told the court that Ali's brother and sister- in-law were active members of the terror outfit who had introduced him to other members.

In the charge sheet, the police alleged that Ali's brother introduced him to another accused Mohd Abdul Rehman, arrested in the case, whose speeches and ideology influenced him and started collecting funds for AQIS (Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent) activities at his instruction.

"Sabeel Ahmad (Ali's brother in-law) and his brother Arshiyan and his wife Alina are active members of terrorist outfit Al-Qaeda since long...During September/October 2015, his brother gave him contact number of Maulana Abdul Rehman for meeting in India. Arshiyan and Sabeel also gave him Rs 1.7 lakh for Rehman," the police alleged.

29-year-old Ali was arrested after he was sent back from Saudi Arabia in connection with the case in which he is also accused of conspiring with other Qaeda members to organise and make provocative speeches to recruit Indian youths and establishing a base for the terror outfit here.

Police further said that Ali's brother-in-law Ahmad is brother of Kafil Ahmad, who had committed suicidal attack at Glasgow airport, London, in 2007.

Ali was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court on July 12 last year, along with eleven others.

The police said that Ali, along with other AQIS members, provided shelter to its cadres in Dammam in Saudi Arabia and claimed there was sufficient evidence to prosecute Ali and others for offences punishable under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

"From the investigation of the case, sufficient evidences to prosecute accused Syed Mohd Zishan Ali and others for offences punishable under sections 18(conspiracy), 18B (recruiting of any person for terrorist act) and 20 (being member of terrorist organisation) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and 174A (failure to appear in specified time and place as required by a proclamation by court) of the IPC has emerged," the charge sheet said.

The court posted the matter for February 2 for further proceedings.

Ali's name, along with that of 11 others, was allegedly disclosed by Syed Anzar Shah and four others -- Mohd Asif, Zafar Masood, Mohd Abdul Rehman and Abdul Sami -- arrested in the case earlier, the police had claimed.

The Delhi Police's Special Cell had arrested Ali on August 9, 2017 from IGI Airport here after searching for him over a year after three alleged AQIS (Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent) operatives were arrested in 2015.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com