The Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) have arrested a 19-year-old man from Coimbatore in connection with an alleged online module inspired by the ideology of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), officials said.
The accused, identified as Maqsood Ali, a resident of Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested from the Hope College area of Coimbatore on September 14, hours before he was reportedly due to leave for Bengaluru. His arrest followed the interrogation of another accused, Mohammad Nabeel, who was arrested in Azamgarh on September 12.
According to the ATS, Maqsood was allegedly part of an online network that used social media and messaging platforms to radicalise young people and plan violent activities. Investigators alleged that the network had links to individuals in India and abroad.
Maqsood had been working for a Bengaluru-based manpower agency and had arrived in Coimbatore with several others on September 7 for work at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex. He was staying at a hotel near Hope College when the police, acting on information from the UP ATS, traced his location.
The Coimbatore ATS detained him and subsequently handed him over to the UP ATS. He was produced before a local court and taken to Uttar Pradesh on a transit remand.
Investigators said Maqsood operated an Instagram account called ‘Muslim Warrior’ and had allegedly developed a secure communication application called “Captain M Network”. According to the ATS, the application was used to connect members of the alleged network.
The agency also alleged that Maqsood operated two WhatsApp accounts and was associated with groups with names including ‘UU Entry Gate’, ‘United Ummah’, ‘Gazwa-e-Hind’, ‘Team Black Hat’ and ‘Lashkar-e-Mehndi’. Investigators claimed that some of these groups included Pakistani phone numbers and were used to discuss secure communication tools and circulate extremist material.
The ATS further alleged that Maqsood had come into contact with Pakistani hackers and was attempting to develop hacking tools. Investigators said he had taught himself Python, Java, coding and hacking through online platforms including Instagram, YouTube, Telegram and WhatsApp groups.
According to officials, Maqsood had studied up to Class IX and was learning coding and artificial intelligence online. His mobile phone was seized during the investigation.
The ATS alleged that Maqsood, Nabeel and others had been influenced by the ideology of Al Qaeda-linked preacher Anwar al-Awlaki and were attempting to recruit young people through WhatsApp groups. Investigators claimed the alleged network planned to train recruits in weapons-related activities and raise funds.
The agency also alleged that a WhatsApp group associated with the suspects circulated AQIS-related material and videos concerning bomb-making. These allegations are part of the ongoing investigation and have not been established in court.
Maqsood has denied the allegations, according to officials. His employer told media that he was unaware of the young man’s alleged background and had hired him only around 10 days earlier through an acquaintance.
The ATS has registered an FIR under Sections 152 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 18 and 38 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Investigators are now questioning Maqsood to establish the alleged network’s wider links and identify other individuals who may have been involved.
