According to an intelligence threat report exclusively accessed by The Free Press Journal, Maharashtra and specifically Mumbai are on the radar of terrorists. It further says that certain government officials, foreign nationals, a few VVIPs, and roads and railway infrastructure are in the crosshairs of anti-India forces. The security concern becomes more pressing in the wake of Independence Day and the fast-approaching festivals.
Ghori's reemergence sends intelligence agencies on high alert
Indian agencies are on high alert owing to the re-emergence of Pakistan-based fugitive terrorist, Farahatullah Ghori, who has become highly active on the dark web. Specific inputs have been received that he is radicalising youth and instigating them to blow themselves apart with explosives or carry out lone-wolf attacks in case they are apprehended by the law enforcement agencies.
Boasting that his cadre had already reached their designated targets, Ghori is circulating videos of Indian Mujahideen and provoking speeches and literature on his chat platform. A hardcore terrorist, he has been a key member of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad and is now leading Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), a terrorist outfit with global links.
NIA leads series of arrests
On Friday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended five people in Hyderabad, who were accused of being associated with HuT. Ten other alleged members were held from Bhopal and one from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. According to sources, they were planning a significant terror operation.
According to reliable sources, Ghori and his associates along with their sleeper cell are currently using certain gaming apps for communication. Agencies have tracked some of their chats on dark web chat platforms, where they were discussing terror activities. In the recent past, the agencies have discovered several such plans, including those related to ISIS Maharashtra terror module and Popular Front of India's dealings, added a source from the multi-agency centre.
