The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to take over the probe into the Gorakhnath temple attack. A senior police officer privy to the case said that information about the Gorakhnath temple attack case in Uttar Pradesh is already being shared with the NIA.
Gorakhnath temple attacker Ahmad Murtuza Abbasi was charged under UAPA Act
This development came after the main accused Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi was sent to 14-day judicial custody for further interrogation. In addition, the police have also booked him under section 16 (terrorist act), section 18 (terror conspiracy), section 20 (being a member of a terrorist gang or organization), and section 40 (offense of raising funds for a terrorist organization) of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Abbasi was arrested after he had forcibly tried to enter the premises of the Gorakhnath temple and attacked two cops with a sharp weapon. Abbasi, who is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), attempted to break into the Gorakhnath temple premises on April 3 while shouting Allahu Akbar. The 30-year-old chemical engineering graduate attacked the security personnel with a sickle when they tried to stop him, injuring two Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) constables. He was later captured by the other security staff and subsequently arrested.
During interrogation, Murtaza told the ATS that he wanted the Sharia law to be implemented in the country. Reportedly, the accused, who is an IIT graduate, knew all the methods of making bombs easily. According to sources, he had also admitted to deleting some sensitive information from his laptop and mobile phone.
The police said that the confession indicated that Abbasi had been radicalized to the extent that he was even willing to die while committing such crimes. Abbasi reportedly came into contact with ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) after falling into a honey-trap. He had reportedly sent lakhs of rupees to bank accounts linked to ISIS.
Moreover, Murtaza Abbasi’s interrogation revealed that he was attempting to develop an app called ‘Jarima’ at the behest of Islamic terror groups. In Arabic, the word ‘Jarima’ means ‘oppression.’
Gorakhnath Temple Attack
On April 3, 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.