As the investigations agencies are digging deeper into Gorakhpur Temple attacker Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi’s life, more evidence of the incident being a planned attack are surfacing.
As per reports, a top UP Police official said ATS had raided his house on Saturday, a day before the attack, but he was missing. Abbasi’s father also confirmed that ATS had visited looking for Abbasi. The officer said Abbasi planned the attack in haste after learning about the ATS raid at his house.
On March 31, central investigating agencies had informed ATS about a list of 16 people who were plotting an attack on Gorakhnath Temple, and Abbasi’s name was on the list. Upon receiving the report, two ATS officers had visited his place, but by then, he had gone missing.
Aide arrested from Saharanpur
Following Abbasi’s arrest, ATS carried out several raids in at least six districts across the state. A number of suspects were detained who were in contact with Abbasi. A suspicious youth from Chhutmalpur, Saharanpur, was arrested by ATS on Tuesday night. Identified as Abdul Rehman, he runs a grocery shop in the Muslim colony of Chhutmalpur. Reports suggest Rehman had accompanied Abbasi to Nepal. They both were in touch with terror groups based out of Syria.
Two people have been detailed, two from Sambhal, and eight from other cities, including Deoband, Kanpur, Lucknow, Noida, and Shamli. Currently, around 40 more people are under the ATS radar connected to the case. These people were in contact with Abbasi over the phone and through WhatsApp groups.
Abbasi sent lakhs to ISIS
Another shocking revelation made during the investigation was that Abbasi had sent lakhs of rupees to bank accounts linked to ISIS. According to a top official, investigating agencies are looking into its financial dealings with Abbasi. He has accounts in ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank, and Platinum Federal Bank, among others, reported Republic.
Abbasi’s mentior is from the US
During the interrogation, it was revealed that Abbasi’s mentor was an American identified as Imam Anwar al-Halaki, who originally hails from Yemen. Abbasi was highly influenced by banned Islamic preacher Zakir Naik as well.
Some documents recovered from Abbasi revealed a link to Jamnagar. Gujarat ATS would be interrogating him as well in Lucknow.
Gorakhnath Temple Attack
On April 3, a man identified as Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi initiated an attack on Gorakhnath Temple in Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place just a day before UP CM Yogi Adityanath was scheduled to visit the temple. Abbasi’s family claimed he was mentally unstable, but the claims were refuted by Police and doctors who treated him after the attack.