Wanted ISIS terrorist nabbed

New Delhi, August 9

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police, in collaboration with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), arrested Rizwan Ali, a wanted operative of the banned terrorist organisation ISIS, from a location near Ganga Baksh Marg at the Delhi-Faridabad border around 11 pm on Thursday, the police said.

Ali, who had been on the run for over a year, was carrying a reward of Rs 3 lakh announced by the NIA for his capture.

Ali (29) was arrested in a coordinated operation following a brief exchange of gunfire in Daryaganj. The police recovered a pistol, live cartridges and used ammunition from his possession.

“Based on intelligence about Ali’s movements, a trap was set, and he was apprehended after a brief encounter,” said a senior police official.

The NIA had been tracking Ali since 2023, when leads emerged about a module with connections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. In July 2023, the Pune Police arrested two ISIS operatives, Imran Khan and Yunus Saki, in Maharashtra. It was revealed that one of their associates, Shahnawaz Alam, had evaded capture at that time.

The Pune case was transferred to the NIA, which later declared a reward of Rs 3 lakh for the arrest of Shahnawaz Alam, Rizwan Ali and others. Shahnawaz Alam was arrested in October 2023 by the Special Cell from Jaitpur Extension in Delhi, but Rizwan Ali continued to evade the authorities.

Ali’s involvement with ISIS dates back to 2015-16 when he became attracted to radical ideology through social media.

“By 2017, he had met Shahnawaz Alam in Shaheen Bagh, Delhi, and they became friends. They later connected with ISIS handlers through social media and began preparing for terrorist activities, including gathering materials for IEDs,” officials said.

“Ali and his associates were deeply involved in the ISIS ideology and were planning terrorist acts. They were in contact with ISIS handlers and made extensive efforts to avoid detection,” said the police official.

The investigation revealed that Ali and his associates had engaged in criminal activities to fund their plans to travel to ISIS-controlled regions. After the arrests of Imran Khan and Yunus Saki, Ali and Shahnawaz Alam went underground, with Ali managing to evade arrest.

A case has been registered against Ali under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Arms Act and other applicable laws.