- Five more suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were arrested across Gujarat by ATS
- One accused was preparing to assemble a live time bomb with advanced explosive knowledge
- The arrests followed interrogation of earlier suspects and led to 18 total arrests so far
Five more suspected terrorists linked to the banned Pakistan-based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were arrested from various districts across Gujarat. Investigations revealed that one of the accused was actively preparing to assemble a time bomb.
The five new suspects, arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), were traced and taken into custody after their names surfaced during interrogation of previously arrested members of the module. The court has subsequently remanded them to police custody to allow central and state intelligence agencies to dig deeper into the network.
Earlier it was revealed the accused were getting financial help from their handlers in Pakistan, and the handler had asked them to purchase a second-hand car as well.
Time Bomb Plot Uncovered Mid-Construction
ATS revealed that one of the arrested operatives possessed advanced knowledge of explosives and was on the verge of constructing a live time bomb. Acting on precise operational intelligence, ATS teams swooped in and captured the suspects just before the device could be completed.
Official sources stated that the five individuals, along with the previously arrested accused, were heavily involved in testing improvised explosive devices. Local prosecutors informed the court that while the group had attempted to test a crude time bomb earlier, the initial experiment had failed. The ATS is currently conducting extensive searches to recover hidden bomb-making materials, technical manuals, and highly radicalised JeM literature written in Urdu.
How the Network Was Unraveled: The Road To 18 Arrests
This latest operation marks the third wave of arrests in a crackdown against the "Darul Islam Gujarat Jaish-e-Mohammed" sleeper cell, bringing the total number of arrested suspects to 18.
The entire operation began when the Gujarat ATS successfully busted the core module by arresting the initial group of accused operatives. This initial breakthrough spanned multiple coordinated midnight raids across Gujarat, including Banaskantha, Patan, and Navsari, as well as Dewas in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. Investigators discovered that the sleeper cell was communicating directly with Pakistani handlers named Abdullah and Mohammad Umar to recruit vulnerable local youth, raise funds, and set up a launchpad for future attacks. Authorities also seized over 250 radicalised digital files and translated jihadi texts.
Following the first wave, deeper digital forensics and sustained interrogation led the ATS to track down and arrest one more key operative, bringing the tally to 13. This individual was found to be a crucial link in supplying extremist material to other members of the cell.
The Gujarat ATS, alongside national intelligence agencies, is continuing its multi-state investigation to map out the financial pathways, uncover hidden weapon caches, and isolate any remaining sleeper operatives associated with this network.
