Islamist/Other Conflicts: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2022

In the wake of threat perception from a Pakistan-based militant group, security has been increased on The Ridge and Mall Road in Shimla, Hindustan Times reports on January 2. The Police teams carried out an anti-sabotage check in every nook and corner of The Ridge ground. As per the information provided by Police officials, a Pakistan-based terror outfit had threatened to blow up the water storage tank below The Ridge. The tank was built in 1880 to meet the water requirement of Shimla town. The local Police also took assistance from the Army, which deployed its anti-sabotage teams in the town. Read less...

India and five Central Asian states agreed to uphold UNSC Resolution 2593 (2021), which unequivocally demands that Afghan territory not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing terrorist acts, and decided on full utilisation of Chabahar Port in Iran for regional connectivity, khmertimeskh.com reports on January 4. In a joint statement, foreign ministers of India, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasising respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs. Read less...

Indian Mujahideen (IM) has set a target of taking shelter in Nepal and preparing more than 200 sleeper cells as members in 2022 in some areas of Bihar-Bengal, apart from the border areas of Indo-Nepal, according to intelligence inputs, newstracklive.com reports on January 4. The report has been sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) after receiving such intelligence inputs. The list of some suspects on the Indo-Nepal border has also been sent to UMHA by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). After receiving such information, vigil has been stepped up in border areas. The unemployed and minors of Seemai area are being lured into being groomed as sleeper cell members Read less...

National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested an Islamic State (IS) operative, identified as Mundadiguttu Sadananda Marla Deepthi Marlah alias Maryam in a joint operation with the Karnataka Police, the agency said on January 3, 2021, reports timesnow.com. The location of her arrest is yet not mentioned. Maryam is the daughter-in-law of B M Basha, son of former Ullal MLA late B M Idinabba. Maryam is the wife of Anas Abdul Rahiman, a resident of Mangalore, and is connected with the investigation of the IS Kerala module case. The case pertains to terrorist activities of one Mohammed Ameen aka Abu Yahya of Kerala and his associates, who have been allegedly running various IS propaganda channels on different social media platforms for propagating IS ideology and recruiting new members. Read less...

On January 3, a bomb exploded in the house of Kankan Karan of Paschim Bhanganmari village in East Medinipur District. While Kankan Karan was seriously injured in the explosion, another person succumbed to his injuries. NIA took over the case investigation on January 25. Read less...

On January 3, NIA raided the residence of BM Bashaat at Mastikatte village near Mangaluru in Uttar Kannad District of Karnataka and arrested Mundadiguttu Sadananda Marla Deepthi Marlah alias Maryam for alleged links to the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). Several documents were also seized. Read less...

The central government should decide within eight weeks on the extradition and repatriation of a woman from Kerala who is detained in Afghanistan with her child on charges of joining the Islamic State (IS) terror outfit, the Supreme Court ruled on January 3, reports Hindustan Times. The court was hearing a petition filed by VJ Sebastian Francis, a resident of Ernakulam District in Kerala, who requested repatriation of his daughter Sonia, alias Ayisha, and granddaughter. The two are at Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Kabul since 2019, before the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. Read less...

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to get new branches in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Patna, Jaipur, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar, as Ministry of Finance on January 3, approved the proposal of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) for six offices, reports bharattimes.co.in. “The proposal of MHA regarding creation of offices at Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Patna, Jaipur, Bhopal Bhubaneshwar and creation of 435 posts was examined and it was agreed to create 300 posts,” Ministry of Finance said in a communication. According to sources, the UMHA in its letter to the finance ministry had sought an average of 72 personnel and officers for each office, but only 50 members were approved. The Bengaluru, Patna and Bhopal branches will be headed by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG), while the other three branches will be headed by a Superintendent of Police (SP) level officer. There will be five inspectors to investigate the cases along with forensic experts at all the locations. Read less...

Union Home Minister (UHM) Amit Shah on January 3, chaired a high-level meeting to assess the internal security situation in the country, and stressed on the threats of terrorism and the need for coordination among central and state agencies, reports Indian Express. The meeting was attended by top officials of central agencies and forces apart from police officials of various states through video conference. “Highlighting the continued threats of terrorism and global terror groups, terror financing, narco-terrorism, organised crime-terror nexus, illicit use of cyber space, movement of foreign terrorist fighters, etc. Home Minister stressed upon the need for better coordination and synergy among the central and state security agencies in countering the ever-changing CT and security challenges,” a statement from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) said. Read less...

TS Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, has taken over as Chair of the Counter Terrorism Committee for 2022, reports Goa Chronicle. India is a non-permanent member of the 15-nation Security Council and its two-year term ends on December 31, 2022. The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate tweeted the news of TS Tirumurti assuming the chair of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) which was established in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Read less...

On January 7, a high alert has been sounded at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur of Maharashtra after a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist admitted conducting recce, reports Hindustan Times. A JeM terrorist of Jammu and Kashmir who was recently arrested revealed that some members of the group have conducted a reconnaissance of some buildings in Nagpur including RSS headquarters and Hedgewar Bhavan at Reshimbagh. Following this, Police have increased security and also banned photography and the use of drones around the RSS headquarters at Mahal and the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Bhavan, Reshimbagh. Read less...

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against five terrorists including 4 Bangladeshi nationals, reports Northeast Now on January 10. The chargesheet was filed before the special NIA court in Kolkata of West Bengal. The five terrorists identified as Lalu Sen alias Rahul Sen, Najiur Rahman Pavel alias Najiur Rahman, Mikail Khan alias S.K Sabbir, Rabiul Islam alias Rabiul Isalm and Mohammed Abdul Mannan Bachu had been arrested under Unlawful Activity Prevention Act (UAPA). The five terrorists including one Indian JMB operative were planning terrorist activities to create a riot-like situation and were receiving funds from Bangladesh through the Hawala channel. Read less...

On January 9, a person was arrested near Indraprastha Park in Sarai Kale Khan Bus Terminal of New Delhi District in Delhi, reports ANI. The arrestee identified as Raisul Azam is a key supplier to an international syndicate indulged in circulation of FICNs. Raisul Azam has already supplied FICN worth more than INR 1,00,00,000 in Delhi during the last four years. FICN worth INR 2,98,000 in denomination of INR 500 were seized from the arrestee. Read less...

On January 11, a woman was arrested along with heroin worth INR 7,43,00,000 from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi (Delhi), reports NDTV. The woman who had arrived from Entebbe in Ugandan via Sharjah was found to be in possession of heroin weighing 1.06 kg concealed in 107 capsules inside clothes in baggage. Read less...

On January 12, five members of a gang were arrested along with fake Indian currency notes (FICN) worth INR 81,000 from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, reports Hindustan Times. The five accused identified as Salman alias Aftab, Md Mubbasir, Md Arbaaz, Shavez Khan, and Rahul Saroj were involved in production, sale and circulation of FICN. The gang revealed during questioning that they had FICN with face value of ₹60,000 in exchange of original currency notes worth ₹10,000. Reams of high-quality paper, ink printer, cutters and printed fake currencies were recovered from the five arrested. Read less...

On January 14, an improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered from the busy Ghazipur flower market in East Delhi District, reports The India Express. The three kilogrames explosives, including RDX and ammonium nitrate, a timer device, an electric detonator and some shrapnel kept in a rectangular iron box and concealed in a black and red backpack was found lying unattended in the market. The IED was eventually destroyed via a controlled explosion saving thousands of lives. This comes just days before Republic Day celebrations in the national capital. Read less...

A wanted person identified as Aladu alias Matahur allegedly involved in a case of smuggling fake Indian currency notes (FICN) from Bangladesh was arrested from Malda District in West Bengal, reports The Hindu on January 16. Earlier, National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed a chargesheet in October 2019 against four accused persons, including Aladu, who was involved in the procurement of fake notes from his Bangladeshi accomplices and later on circulated the FICN in India through his contacts. Read less...

India on January 18, condemned the drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that killed two Indian nationals as a terrorist incident and conveyed the country’s strong solidarity to the emirates in the face of such assaults, reports defenceaviationpost.com. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed the attack with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a telephone conversation. Jaishankar “condemned the terror attack in the strongest terms”, and emphasised that such “an attack on innocent civilians was completely unacceptable and against all civilised norms”. He appreciated the immediate assistance provided by UAE authorities to the Indian embassy in responding to the situation. Sheikh Abdullah shared details of the attack and conveyed his government’s deepest condolences at the death of the two Indians. Read less...

On January 18, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti at the International Counter Terrorism Conference 2022 stated that the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts was not only given state protection but also enjoyed a five-star hospitality, in a veiled reference to the D-company head Dawood Ibrahim believed to be residing in Pakistan, reports Hindustan Times. Tirumurti made this statement in the conference organized by Global Counter Terrorism Council while talking about the need to recognize the linkages between terrorism and transnational organised crime for addressing them properly. As the Chair of the UNSC Counter-terrorism Committee for 2022, Tirumurti further said that the UN sanctions regimes, including the 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, are pivotal to the international efforts in preventing terror-financing, terrorist-travel and access to arms by the terrorist organisations. However, voicing concern about the implementation of these measures, the India Ambassador pointed that the recent report of the Monitoring Team on the asset freeze exemption procedures pursuant to resolution 2560 (2020) points to the lacunae of asset freeze measures by member states, partly due to deficiencies in the existing guidelines of the Committee. Read less...

Al Qaida’s links with United Nations Security Council (UNSC)-proscribed Laskhar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has continued to strengthen, said India’s permanent representative to the UN, T S Tirumurti, The New Indian Express reports on January 20. He said this at the International Counter-Terrorism Conference, organised by the Global Counter-Terrorism Council. He also stated, “The Islamic State (ISIS) has changed its modus operandi, with its core focus now on regaining ground in Syria and Iraq. Its regional affiliates are strengthening their expansion, especially in Africa and Asia”. Al Qaida remains a major threat and recent developments in Afghanistan have served to re-energise them. Tirumurti pointed out that in the global counter-terrorism domain, the 9/11 attacks in the US in 2001 had proved a turning point in our approach towards terrorism. Read less...

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on January 22 (today) emphasised the need for counter-terrorism measures, citing the recent Texas synagogue siege, reports Times Now. He also said India sees the Indo-Pacific as a free, open, inclusive region, which embraces all in a common pursuit of progress and prosperity. Calling counter-terrorism a "key area of cooperation" between strategic partners, Shringla warned that failure to cooperate could "only embolden terrorists towards more audacity". The diplomat also batted for the creation of a "common rules-based order for the region" that would enable all countries to use common spaces on sea and in the air, engage in unimpeded commerce, and peacefully settle disputes in accordance with international law. Read less...

The security agencies have warned Delhi Police that on the occasion of Republic Day Khalistani militants can strike in the national capital of Delhi, reports Odisha TV on January 25. The Police have released posters of eight Khalistani militants in this connection. Recently a case of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) was lodged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Jaswinder Singh Multani, a German-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) member who was allegedly linked to Ludhiana Court Blast on December 23, 2021, was detained and questioned in Germany. Delhi Police have released posters of the Khalistani militants from different organisations, and have urged the people to inform them immediately if they come across anything suspicious. The posters have been pasted across the national capital. Read less...

The Tamil Nadu Police have blown the lid off an international network of former members or sympathisers of the defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) allegedly involved in raising funds for reviving the movement, reports The Hindu on January 27. Mary Francisco (51), a Sri Lankan national, who was detained by the immigration authorities in Chennai recently and handed over to the ‘Q’ Branch-CID of the State Police, revealed how the accused persons operating from European countries deployed operatives to draw huge money from dormant accounts using fake identities/documents. She was intercepted at the Chennai Airport as she was preparing to board a plane to Mumbai. The suspect was found to possess an Indian passport obtained with fake documents. Read less...

On January 29, National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a in the ISIS recruitment conspiracy case in naming the kin of former Karnataka Congress MLA, late B M Idinabba along with 7 others, reports The Indian Express. NIA filed the chargesheet against Mundadiguttu Sadananda Marla Deepthi Marlah alias Maryam, Ammar Abdul Rahiman, Mohd. Waqar Lone, Mizha Siddeeque, Shifa Haris, Obaid Hamid Matta, Madesh Shankar and Muzamil Hassan Bhat. Deepthi Marlah’s husband Anas Abdul Rahiman is son of B M Basha, whose father Idinabba was a former Congress MLA. Idinabba died in 2009. Ammar Rahiman is Anas’s brother. According to NIA, “Investigation has revealed that all eight accused chargesheeted today are affiliated with…ISIS and were involved in radicalising, recruiting, organising terror funds and grooming like-minded gullible Muslim youth through different secured social media platforms to perform Hijrat to ISIS-controlled territory for joining ISIS”. During the investigation, “it has been revealed that after the decline of ISIS Caliphate in Syria/Iraq, Deepthi Marla and Mohd. Ameen had visited Kashmir in January and March 2020 for Hijrah (religious migration) and for engaging in terrorist acts and supporting the activities of ISIS”. Earlier, on January 3, NIA raided the residence of BM Bashaat at Mastikatte village near Mangaluru in Uttar Kannad District of Karnataka and arrested Deepthi for alleged links to the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). Several documents were also seized. Read less...

The Centre has enhanced budget for the Intelligence Bureau (IB) by 13.43 per cent with allocation of INR 3,168.36 crore, daijiworld.com reports on February 1. The government has increased the budget so that its intelligence wing is technologically equipped. This year out of the total allocation of INR 3,168.36 crore, INR 3039.36 have been allocated for the revenue expenditure and INR 129 crore for capital outlay. In the last fiscal year 2021-2022, the revised budget of the intelligence gathering agency was INR 2,793.02 crore. Interestingly, the last fiscal budget estimate was INR 2839.24 crore. In the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the bureau has been allocated INR 2,350.56 crore. The increase in the budget is also related to a bigger role the government has assigned to the bureau relating to the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar also. Read less...