During the initial interrogation, Abu Yusuf, the ISIS terrorist nabbed by Delhi police on August 22, had said that he was planning a major terror attack as a retaliation to the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The mother of the terrorist has, however, negated this claim, saying that his terrorist activities had nothing to do with the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan.
As per a report by News18, she claimed that the Bhoomi Poojan of Ram temple had just happened a few days ago, while Abu Yusuf alias Mustaqeem had been preparing to make explosives for the last three years at his home in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh.
Kahkaksha, the mother of Abu Yusuf revealed that her son often told her that even if a mosque comes up on the temple site in Ayodhya, no one would go there to offer prayers. He was not bothered in the Ayodhya verdict nor was he concerned whether a temple or a mosque was being built on the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, said the mother.
The ISIS terrorist was inspired by bomb-making videos, spent hours watching them on Youtube
Speaking to the Delhi police special cell, Kahkaksha said that Yusuf used to watch bomb-making videos on Youtube for hours and was inspired by these videos, Yusuf was collecting materials to make the explosives for the last three years.
Had converted to a hardline terrorist after he returned from Saudi in 2010
The terrorist’s mother said that for very long she was unaware of her son’s dangerous motives. It was only revealed when Yusuf returned from Saudi Arabia in 2010. He was completely radicalised and had converted into a hardline terrorist when he returned. Because of his fanaticism, the villagers started distancing themselves from Abu Yusuf and his family, divulged Kahkaksha.
It is pertinent to note here that Abu Yusuf had spent five years from 2006 to 2010 in Saudi Arabia. Security agencies believe that this was the time when he came in contact with the radicals and started operating as a sleeper cell for ISIS. Yusuf had also revealed that he had planned to move to Khorasan in Afghanistan along with his family but his handler Huzaifa died in 2019 that forced him to stay in India.
Abu Yusuf’s family botcotted by villagers
Meanwhile, an elderly neighbour named Tahira said that the entire village had boycotted Abu Yusuf’s family. They were not invited for marriages or any other ceremonies which took place in the village. Asafiya Khanam, another woman living in the neighbourhood, said that it was because of Yusuf that all the other families of the village had kept a distance from their family.
The ISIS terrorist took advantage of the lockdown to test his explosives
Asafia Khanam furthered that during the lockdown in the month of April, they had once heard an ear-piercing noise and seen smoke billowing from a cemetery located in the eastern fringe of the village. Abu Yusuf had taken advantage of the lockdown to test the explosives he made. Asafia said: “we all witnessed it, but at that time, no one, could imagine that Abu Yusuf was harbouring such devious plans”, said the neighbour.
On 22nd August, Delhi Police arrested an ISIS operative from New Delhi after an encounter. The Police got the information about him from Intelligence Agencies after which he was nabbed. Reports suggested that Abu Yusuf was highly influenced by the Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik who fled from India and took shelter in Malaysia.
The security agencies took Yusuf to his native place in Balrampur Uttar Pradesh to search his house. The police found bomb jackets, explosives and inflammatory material at his residence.
