Al-Qaeda suspect held in Cuttack

Bhubaneswar: The Delhi police on Wednesday arrested a suspected al-Qaeda terrorist from Jagatpur area on the outskirts of Odisha’s Cuttack city, nearly 40 km from here.

During the joint operation by Delhi police and Commissionerate Police, the 37-year-old suspect identified as Mahammed Abdul Rahman was picked up from his house in early hours. Rahman hails from Satabatia village in Paschimakachha area in the district.

According to Bhubaneswar-Cuttack commissioner police Dr R.P. Sharma, based on intelligence inputs, the Delhi police arrived in Bhubaneswar and raided the place where Rahman was residing. Rahman’s mobile phone and computer-tablet were seized in the raid.

“The police has seized Rahman’s mobile phone and tablet. Preliminary inquiry revealed that after his education in a local Madrasa, he had gone to Deoband in Uttar Pradesh for higher Islamic studies. He also has a PhD degree on a theological topic. He visited Pakistan in 2013 and has got contacts in Indian states like Karnataka, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and other places like Saudi Arabia, Dubai and London,” Dr Sharma said.

Abdul Rahman’s elder brother Tahir Ali was arrested in connection with the attack on American Embassy n Kolkota 2001. 

“We are examining the documents seized from him. His bank account transactions are also under the scanner. The Delhi Special Cell of police will produce him before a local court at Salipur in Cuttack district today and seek to take him on transit remand. Later, he will be produced in a Delhi court for further interrogation,” the commissioner said.

Meanwhile, police have kept the suspected terrorist in an undisclosed location and are interrogating him.

Notably, the central intelligence agencies provide advisory to the state regarding possible terror attacks on various vital installations in the state from time to time. The Interim Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Abdul Kalam Island formerly known as Wheelers Island and Jagannath temple in Puri have been on the hit list of the radical elements.

A team of over 30 police personnel including Twin City Commissioner Dr RP Sharma, Bhubaneswar DCP Satyabrata Bhoi, Cuttack DCP Sanjeev Arora and other senior officials raided Rahman’s house late Tuesday night.

Following the Paris attacks, major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad have been put on high alert after intelligence inputs of reported threat of al-Qaeda terror attacks.

The reported threat was that al-Qaeda was planning attacks on public places, tourist spots, iconic buildings, and places of worship in these cities.