The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested 4 terrorists associated with the ‘Aligarh ISIS module’ on 11 November 2023 (Saturday). So far, 7 people in this module have been arrested in November alone. The arrested terror suspects have been identified as Abdullah Arshlan, Maaz bin Tariq, Naved, Wajiuddin, Rakib Imam, Noman, and Mohammad Nazim.
While some of them are still studying at Aligarh Muslim University, a few of them have passed out and are now doing jobs or businesses. The ATS also revealed that the mother-in-law of arrested Wajihuddin Ali Khan, who was pursuing PhD at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh, is working as a nurse at the university.
ISIS terrorist Wajihuddin Ali Khan’s mother-in-law is a staff nurse at AMU
The Uttar Pradesh Police’s ‘Anti-Terrorism Branch’ (ATS) had apprehended Wajihuddin Ali Khan on November 7 from Durg, Chhattisgarh. This was considered the biggest arrest in the ‘Aligarh ISIS module’ case so far. Wajihudding was also connected to the Pune ISIS network.
Wajihuddin is originally from Durg in Chhattisgarh. Wajihuddin came to Aligarh about 10 years ago. He was pursuing his PhD at AMU. Wajihuddin used to teach social science subjects (history, geography, and civics) to his junior students including Hindu students in Aligarh. He was known as ‘Amir’ by those who embraced his ideology. The word Amir is considered the title of a king among Muslims.
According to information received by OpIndia, this dates back to the year 2010 when a radical Islamist named Harish Farooqui, who is being monitored by the NIA (National Investigation Agency) and the Special Cell of Delhi Police, was trying to establish a terror network in Aligarh. In his group back then, Harish Farooqui was known as ‘Amir.’ Farooqui is a former student of AMU and is considered to have played an instrumental role in setting up the SAMU Group. He has been on the run since Shahnawaz, who was linked to the Pune ISIS network, was arrested by the Delhi Police.
After some time Wajihuddin came in contact with the radical elements of AMU. Wajihuddin was a gifted speaker who quickly established himself at SAMU (Students of AMU group).
Gradually Wajihuddin started giving provocative speeches not only to radicalise and instigate youths against their religion but also the country. He said several objectionable things against the Hindu religion.
Wajihuddin Ali Khan was an Islamic preacher associated with the Al Haya Min Allah campaign and group and used to preach ‘Haya’ extensively. In our report, we discovered how he used to go from place to place at AMU with a portable mic and talked about following Islamic principles. In fact, one of Wajihuddin’s speeches was shared by Students of AMU on its page during anti-CAA protests. The speech was given during Jinnah’s poster row before anti-CAA protests. SAMU said it was relevant during those protests as well. Wajihuddin was extensively active during anti-CAA protests.
Interestingly, Wajihuddin Ali Khan extended his support to PFI and Sharjeel Imam on his Facebook profile. As of now, Wajihuddin’s Facebook profile stands either locked or suspended.
Wajihuddin got married in Aligarh. His mother-in-law is a nurse posted at Aligarh Medical College. It is said that she was greatly influenced by the religious ideas of Wajihuddin. Wajihuddin has two brothers-in-law, one of whom is a minor currently studying in class 12 while the other is often ill. Wajihuddin was living at his mother-in-law’s house for about 3 months before his arrest.
Notably, before Wajihuddin was arrested, ATS had also searched Wajihuddin’s mother-in-law’s home. That time his wife was in the Durg.
Wajihuddin along with Abdullah Arshlan, another ISIS terrorist apprehended by UP ATS in connection with the ‘Aligarh ISIS module’ case ran SAMU’s YouTube channel. Wajihuddin himself has posted all his speeches on this channel.
Wajihuddin had discovered an alternate escape route after learning about the arrest of his associates. Instead of taking the train directly from Aligarh, he first went to Mathura. From there he took the train to Durg. However, ATS finally caught him from Durg in Chhattisgarh.
Rakib Imam- one of the 7 arrested ISIS terrorists joined ‘Aligarh ISIS module’ after doing his M-Tech from AMU
Rakib Imam holds an M.Tech degree from Aligarh Muslim University in mechanical engineering. He completed his course in 2020 and started teaching the students at the university. It has been told that Rakib Imam has also taught at the Islamic Mission School, Aligarh. This is the same school which was in the year 2018 issued a show cause notice for portraying Indian fugitive and radical Islamist preacher Zakir Naik as “an important Islamic personality” in a textbook published for Class 5.
Islamic Mission School in Aligarh stoked another controversy last year when it allegedly expelled a three-year-old girl from the school for not wearing a hijab. The father of the girl had in his complaint stated that neither Hindi was taught nor the national anthem was sung in the school. He further said in his complaint that his daughter is still unable to recognize Hindi words. When he talked to the girl about this, he came to know that only Urdu was taught in the school.
Rakib, in his LinkedIn profile, also describes himself as a JEE/NEET faculty at the Avanti Learning Centre.
Rakib is originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi district. OpIndia made numerous calls to the numbers listed on the school board. Unfortunately, no one answered the phone. We will update the report as soon as we hear from the school.
Who is Noman Siddiqui, who was arrested along with Rakib Imam
Noman Siddiqui, who was arrested along with Rakib Imam on November 11, is originally a resident of Sambhal district. He has an ancestral business of fish farming in Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand.
Anti-Hindu speeches were made
In a video accessed by OpIndia, Abu Bakr Fazili, associated with SAMU, can be heard declaring that he accepts the rule of Allah and not of any human being. He had reportedly said this in a speech he gave in AMU’s Kennedy Auditorium in the year 2015. In this speech, it was announced to crush those who come in the way of Islamic rule. Apart from this, objectionable comments have been made about the Hindu religion in many other videos. Wajihuddin can also be seen on the stages in these videos.
Many terrorists of ‘Aligarh ISIS module’ still absconding
The ATS is looking for several terrorists belonging to the ‘Aligarh ISIS module’ who are still evading arrest. Faizan Bakhtiar, Abdul Samad Malik, Rizwan, and Harish Farooqui are prominent names among them. The family of Harish Farooqui resides in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun. Faizan Bakhtiar is from the Prayagraj area, whereas Abdul Samad Malik is originally from Sambhal. The ATS is working to apprehend these suspects based on details given by the arrested terrorists during interrogation.
