ANI file photo
NEW DELHI: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has convicted two additional accused in the Al-Qaeda conspiracy case, sentencing them to 20 months in prison. The verdict follows last month’s ruling in which another individual was jailed and fined for involvement in the same terror plot linked to the banned organisation.Mohd. Mustaqueem and Shakeel, both residents of Lucknow, have been convicted by a special NIA court under Section 25(1B)(a) of the Arms Act read with Section 120B of the IPC. The court sentenced each of them to 20 months’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000, as cited by ANI. The convictions follow the NIA’s filing of a main and a supplementary chargesheet against six arrested individuals in the Al-Qaeda conspiracy case.The arrests were made following information provided by Al-Qaeda operative Umar Halmandi, who had recruited individuals in Lucknow to build an Al-Qaeda module in the region.Halmandi also informed investigators about the outfit’s affiliate, Ansaar Gajwatul Hind (AGH), which had been formed to carry out terror attacks in several Uttar Pradesh cities, particularly Lucknow, before August 15, 2021.”Umar, who was based at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was operating in Lucknow with the aim of preparing youth to carry out terrorist acts before Independence Day 2021 in various cities of Uttar Pradesh, it was found during the probe in the case,” an official statement said on Saturday, as cited by PTI. According to the NIA, Mohammad Moid, along with co-accused Shakeel and Mohd. Mustaqeem, helped Minhaj and Museeruddin procure weapons and ammunition to advance AGH’s terror plot.Mohammad Moid has been sentenced to the period he has already served in prison, 1 year, 9 months, and 13 days, along with a fine of Rs 5,000. The sentence, under Section 25 (1B)(a) of the Arms Act, read with Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was handed down after he pleaded guilty.According to NIA investigations, Minhaj was radicalised by the accused Tawheed and Adil Nabi, also known as Musa, and subsequently conspired with Museeruddin, who pledged loyalty (baiyat) to further the terror plot. Together, Minhaj and Museeruddin procured arms, ammunition, and explosive materials with the intent to wage war against the Government of India.
