LI Network
Published on: 6 August 2023 at 22:25 IST
Two ISIS-linked terrorists, Ubed Ahmed Mirza and Mohammad Kasim Stimberwala, have been sentenced to imprisonment “till their last breath” by the sessions court in Ankleshwar, Gujarat’s Bharuch district.
They were arrested in 2017 for planning “lone-wolf” attacks and recruiting radicalized youths for terror activities.
The additional sessions judge, VJ Kalotra, delivered the verdict, and government pleader Paresh Pandya confirmed the sentencing. The duo, both associated with the Islamic State (IS), faced charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, sedition, and waging war against any Asiatic power in alliance with India.
They were also charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Prior to their arrest, Stimberwala worked as a laboratory technician at a hospital in Ankleshwar, while Mirza was a practicing lawyer at the Surat district court. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had been monitoring them since 2014.
During the trial, the court considered 75 witnesses, along with pen drives, mobile phones, laptops, surveillance data, and digital evidence. These pieces of evidence established that the two had planned terrorist activities and later fled to Syria.
The prosecution revealed that Stimberwala and Mirza had conducted reconnaissance on potential targets, including a synagogue in Ahmedabad.
They were also planning to send radicalized youths outside India to join ISIS and had visited Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and parts of West Bengal to arrange for weapons and recruit members for the terror group.
The ATS stated that the duo had even recruited four minors for their nefarious activities, and these minors were subsequently arrested in Kolkata and became prosecution witnesses.
The chargesheet filed by the ATS mentioned that Stimberwala and Mirza were highly radicalized by the Jehadi ideology of the Islamic State and actively planned lone-wolf attacks on Jews.
The chargesheet also listed Abdullah el-Faisal, a radical preacher based in Jamaica, and suspected IS handler Shafi Armar as absconding accused.
Furthermore, the chargesheet mentioned an unidentified associate of one of the arrested men discussing the possibility of assassinating Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to WhatsApp chat between Mirza and the associate, identified only as ‘Ferrari,’ on September 10, 2016, Mirza spoke about buying pistols.
In response, ‘Ferrari’ suggested, “Yeah, let’s take (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi out with a sniper rifle Insha-Allah,” as stated in the chargesheet.