NIA charge sheets 8 in suicide attack conspiracy, LeT prison radicalisation case

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) prison radicalisation and suicide attack conspiracy case, on Friday charge-sheeted eight persons, including a life convict and two absconders. All eight accused persons have been charge-sheeted under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Explosives Substances Act and Arms Act of the IPC. 

According to the NIA, among the charge-sheeted accused, T Naseer of Kerala’s Kannur is serving a life sentence in Central Prison, Bengaluru, since 2013. While, accused Junaid Ahmed alias JD and Salman Khan are suspected to have fled abroad. Apart from the three, the other accused have been identified as Syed Suhail Khan alias Suhail, Mohammed Umar alias Umar, Zahid Tabrez alias Zahid, Syed Mudassir Pasha and Mohammed Faisal Rabbani alias Sadath.

Accused T Naseer serving life sentence in Bengaluru prison, says NIA

A statement was issued by the NIA, wherein the agency said that the case was originally registered by the Bengaluru city police on July 18, 2023 following seizure of arms, ammunition, hand-grenades and walkie-talkies from the possession of seven of the accused. The recovery was made while the seven men were gathered in the house of one of the accused. 

Investigations into the case, which was taken over by the NIA in October 2023, revealed that T Naseer, who was involved in several blast cases, had come in contact with the other accused while they were all lodged in the Bengaluru prison during 2017. 

Accused Naseer had managed to get them all shifted to his barracks after a careful assessment of their potential. He then managed to radicalise and recruit Junaid and Salman to further the activities of the LeT. Later, he conspired with Junaid to radicalise and recruit the other accused.

The central investigating agency said that Junaid, following his release from Prison, was believed to have fled abroad after committing some more offences.

During the investigation, Junaid began sending funds to his co-accused from abroad to promote  LeT activities within and outside the prison. He also conspired with Salman to deliver arms, ammunition, hand grenades and walkie talkies to the others, as part of a plot to carry out a ‘fidayeen (Suicide)’ attack and help Naseer escape from police custody enroute to court.

In addition to it, it came to fore that Junaid also instructed his co-accused to steal used police caps for the attack and to commit arson on government buses as a practice run. The plot was foiled with the seizure in July last year.

Further, investigations in the case are being conducted.