NIA arrests one more in Hyderabad 'terror attack conspiracy' case

Hyderabad: While investigating the Hyderabad terror conspiracy case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Delhi unit arrested Abdul Kareem (39), on charges of funding Rs40 lakh to Abdul Zahed, the prime suspect to carry out subversive activities in the city.

The terror case was initially booked by the Hyderabad Special Investigation Team (SIT) and was transferred to the NIA recently. The investigating agency re-arrested suspects on charges of planning terror attacks in Hyderabad in October 2022, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The NIA said in its FIR that Zahed has been accused of being involved in other terror-related cases in Hyderabad. He had recruited several youths including Mohd Sameeuddin, Maaz Hasan Farooq and others on the directions of alleged Pakistan-based handlers belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Zahed was earlier arrested for his alleged involvement in a suicide bomb case in 2005 but was released in 2017 for lack of evidence.

Zahed conspired with his gang members to carry out terror activities in Hyderabad to create terror based cases on the instructions of his handlers from Pakistan.

Further investigation also indicated that Zahed had received hand grenades from his handlers allegedly based in neighbouring country and was planning to hurl them at public gatherings and processions in the city to create communal tension.