Wed Dec 25 13:50:58 UTC 2024: ## Assam Police Foil Major Terror Plot, Arrest Two More Al-Qaeda-Linked Suspects

**GUWAHATI, INDIA – December 26, 2024** – Assam Police’s Special Task Force (STF) has arrested two more members of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a Bangladesh-based terrorist group with ties to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The arrests, made Tuesday night in Kokrajhar district, bring the total number of ABT operatives apprehended in recent weeks to ten.

Abdul Zaher Sheikh and Sabbir Mirdha were taken into custody following an investigation that led authorities to a cache of weapons. The hidden arsenal included four handmade rifles resembling AK-47s, ammunition, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), detonators, and materials for constructing further IEDs.

This latest success follows last week’s “Operation Praghat,” which resulted in the arrest of eight ABT operatives across Assam, West Bengal, and Kerala. Among those apprehended was a Bangladeshi national, Muhammad Sad Radi, arrested in Kerala.

Special Director General of Police Harmeet Singh stated that the arrests represent a significant victory in thwarting a potential large-scale terrorist attack. He revealed that the suspects, who had handlers in Pakistan and Bangladesh, planned to establish sleeper cells across India and target leaders within the Hindu community and the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). The operation, initiated in November based on intelligence reports, was overseen by STF chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta. The apprehended individuals allegedly worked under the direction of Md Farhan Israk, a close associate of Jasimuddin Rahmani.

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