Shahnawaz is an Indian mining engineer and notorious terrorist, affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). He was on the most-wanted list of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and carried a reward of Rs. Rs 3 lakh on his head. He came into limelight after he was arrested by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in October 2023.
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Wiki/Biography
Mohammad Shahnawaz Alam was born in 1991 (Age 32 years; by 2023), while some sources claim he was born in 1992 (Age 31 years; by 2023) Pelawal village, Hazaribagh district, Bihar (now in Jharkhand). He completed his schooling in Jharkhand. Subsequently, he went to Kota, Gujarat to take coaching for the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE), now known as JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mining Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology in Nagpur, Maharashtra in 2016. After completing his graduation, he moved to New Delhi. There he started preparing for SSC exams and started living in Abul Fazal Enclave in Jamia Nagar, Okhla. In an interview a policeman talked about his intelligence and said,
He is an intelligent person with a technical mind.”
Physical Appearance
Height(approx): 5′ 6″
Weight(Approx): 60 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: dark brown
Family
parents and siblings
His father served as the headmaster of Urdu Middle School in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. There is not much information about his mother and siblings.
wife and children
He married Khadija Mariam in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh in 2021. According to Delhi Police, Maryam. Before her marriage, she was known as Basanti Patel and practiced Hinduism. After marrying Shahnawaz, she changed her religion.
Religion
He follows Islam.
Address
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Shahnawaz has two addresses,
- Chetna Garden Al Building, Flat No. 17, Mita Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune – 411048
- serial number. – 42, Near Bride Future School, Meeta Nagar, Kondhwa, Pune – 411048
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)
to become radicalized
After relocating to New Delhi after completing his formal education, Shahnawaz started attending lectures organized by Hizb ut-Tahrir in Shaheen Bagh. During his tenure in New Delhi, he came in contact with many extremist groups. These groups motivated him through various social media platforms including Telegram. After this he left Hizb-ut-Tahrir with the intention of joining ISIS. According to sources, when Shahnawaz started following accounts spreading ISIS and ISIL propaganda on social media, he started going mental. In an interview, a Delhi Police policeman said,
He used to go to Shaheen Bagh to listen to the lectures of Hizb ut-Tahrir. This was the time when Shahnawaz decided to leave HuT because he was influenced by the ideology of ISIS. He then started following ISIS concepts, various Twitter accounts, and news channels that subscribe to ISIS ideology.
According to sources, while preparing for the SSC exam, he started communicating with agents of Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He used a chat application to contact ISI agents, but he also spoke to his family and friends over phone calls.
ISIS Pune Module
After Delhi, he moved to Pune, where he lived in Kothrud. Reportedly, he started assisting ISIS in spreading its network in India by recruiting youth for the purpose. In Maharashtra, they set up several training camps within the forests and began instructing recruits in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and handling firearms. They will also experiment with homemade explosive devices in the forests near the training sites.
look into the matter
Shahnawaz, along with Younis Khan and Yaqub Saki, was taken into custody by the Pune Police on July 18, 2023, after they were caught trying to steal a motorcycle in Kothrud, Pune. When the police were taking Shahnawaz to his residence for further investigation in a police van, he managed to escape from police custody by jumping from the moving vehicle. Initially the police thought the case was of petty theft; However, when they interrogated Yunus and Yakub, it was revealed that all three were working for ISIS in India. Yakub and Yunus also revealed that Shahnawaz had kept concentrated acid for making bombs in his residence in Kothrud. Both of them further said that their first meeting with Shahnawaz was in February 2023 through a foreign ISI handler. After escaping from custody, Shahnawaz returned to Delhi to hide from the authorities. The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra Police took over the case on 22 July 2023 and arrested several people associated with ISIS in Maharashtra. During investigation, security organizations with the assistance of bomb disposal and investigation squad found and seized several explosive devices in his Pune apartment. They also found pen drives containing more than 500 gigabytes of information about making explosive devices.
An attempt was made to catch Shahnawaz
In September 2023, the NIA shared information and photographs of Shahnawaz, offering a ransom of Rs. Rs 3,00,000 cash reward for his arrest. The agency also searched many places in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in search of him. During these searches, they found and seized various chemicals used in making homemade explosive devices. In October 2023, Shahnawaz, Mohammad Arshad Warsi and Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf, all suspected to have links to ISIS, were captured by the police. Shahnawaz was detained in Jaitpur, New Delhi, Rizwan in Lucknow and Arshad in Moradabad.
Most wanted list published by NIA
Disclosure after arrest
Interrogation of the three persons after their arrest revealed that they intended to target various locations across India, with a particular focus on highly populated areas in New Delhi to cause maximum damage. Shahnawaz remained in constant touch with his ISI contacts and kept them informed about the progress of the bombing plot. During interrogation, it was revealed that Shahnawaz had plans to establish a base in the Western Ghats and he regularly scouted potential targets to choose the best locations to cause the most damage. Police also found a pistol, some bullets, ordinary plastic tubes, metal pipes, chemicals, timers and other materials from Shahnawaz, which could be used to make explosive devices. The official statement from Delhi Police read,
The main accused Shahnawaz was arrested along with his two other associates this morning. Another accused, identified as Mohammad Rizwan, is absconding. He conducted Reiki at various places in Western and Southern India. They had everything from purchasing materials to containers and pipes for explosives. They were supported and promoted by ISIS elements. They have a pan India footprint.
National Investigation Agency (NIA) members are taking Shahnawaz and two other associates
Shahnawaz revealed that Farhatullah Ghori, the culprit of the 2002 Gujarat Akshardham temple attack, was his handler. Law enforcement agencies also found a set of instructions received from Ghori for making explosives, as well as a list that included the names of prominent BJP and RSS leaders and specified locations for bomb blasts, such as the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
A sketch of Farhatullah Ghori
Facts/General Knowledge
- Shahnawaz is also known as Shafi Uzzama Alam, Shafiujamma Alam and Abdullah.
- Reportedly, he learned bomb making while studying mining engineering in Nashik, Maharashtra.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn