2 more convicted in 2021 Al-Qaida conspiracy case

A special NIA court in Lucknow has convicted two more accused in the 2021 Al-Qaida conspiracy case, taking the total number of convictions in the matter to three.

The convicts — Mohd Mustaqueem and Shakeel, both residents of Lucknow — were found guilty under Section 25(1B)(a) of the Arms Act read with Section 120B of the IPC. The court sentenced them to 20-month imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

The case stems from the July 11, 2021, arrests made by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad, following intelligence inputs that Al-Qaida operative Umar Halmandi — believed to be operating from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border — was recruiting and radicalising youths in Lucknow for the Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

Investigators found that the module was planning attacks in multiple Uttar Pradesh cities ahead of Independence Day in 2021.

On October 30 this year, the court had convicted another accused, Mohammad Moid, in the case. The NIA, which took over the probe, later filed a main chargesheet and a supplementary chargesheet against six arrested persons.

The latest convictions further strengthen the prosecution’s case against the suspected AQIS-linked module, officials said.