Air hostess under Gujarat ATS radar for links with ISIS operatives
Two suspected ISIS operatives were today arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), which claimed that they were plotting an attack “very near future”. on a Jewish synagogue in Khadia area of Ahmedabad.
An air hostess has come under the Radar after her name cropped up during the interrogation of the two alleged Islamic State (ISIS) operatives arrested from Surat and Ankleshwar on Wednesday. The suspects, arrested in Surat, have been identified as Mohammad Kasim Stimberwala and Ubed Ahmed Mirza, an official said.
While Stimberwala used to work as a laboratory technician with a hospital in Ankleshwar town, Mirza is a practicing lawyer with the Surat district court and also owns a hotel there.
ATS sources said that the arrested duo were planning to take the help of this air hostess to smuggle gold into India. In one of the phone intercepts between Ubaid and another radicalized youth Zabiullah of Tamil Nadu, the former suggests that they should turn to smuggling of gold, cigarettes and used cars.
“He categorically says gold smuggling will be done with help of an air hostess. We believe that the smuggling could have been planned in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai or Ahmedabad itself,” said a senior ATS official.
They were booked under IPC sections 120-A (criminal conspiracy), 121-A (waging or attempt to wage war against Government of India) and 125 (Waging war against any Asiatic power in alliance with Government of India) of the IPC, besides under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the official said.
ATS suspects that both the accused were making “intensive efforts to radicalise other youths in India using various mediums, such as social media, one-on-one meetings and telephonic calls”. Assembly elections in Gujarat will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14.
