SIMI man among 2 on way to Afghanistan held in Secunderabad

A suspected SIMI operative and an aide of Indian Mujahideen media in-charge were arrested from Secunderabad today, with police saying they were allegedly planning to go to Afghanistan to get training from al-Qaeda for carrying out terror activities in India.
Police also claimed to have seized literature on explosives formula, a 16 GB pen drive containing literature in terror activities among other things from the Maharashtra youths.
One of them was identified as Shah Mudassir alias Talha, who runs a general store at Umerkhed and is a member of SIMI, police claimed.
Even after ban on the organisation in 2001, Talha became a member of the Association of Indian Minority Students (AIMS) which is a front organisation of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

The other youth is identified as Shoeb Ahmed Khan alias Tariq Bhai of Hingoli district and is an associate of Mansoor Ali Peerboy (Media in-charge of Indian Mujahideen, Pune Module), police said.
"He (Tariq) is also a close friend of Mudassir," police said.

Mudassir and Shoeb came to the city today and got down in Secunderabad. As their movements were suspicious, they were taken into custody.
A case is registered with Gopalapuram police station under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IT Act. "They have been arrested and sent in judicial custody," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Zone) R Jaya Lakshmi said.

When asked about Billah and two other citizens from Hyderabad, the DCP told PTI: "I can only say they are not in our custody. The investigations are still going on."
"Both these persons are adept in using social networks in propagating Jihad and both of them are having several Facebook accounts," the DCP said in a release tonight.
During Facebook chats they came in contact with Abu Saif and Kamaran Sha, both of Pakistan, Zahid Al Hindi, a native of Afghanistan, and Mir Showkath, Sameer Khan and Mothasim Billah-- all residents of Saidabad area here, the DCP said.
Billah is a former SIMI member and son of Islahi, a Hyderabad-based Islamic scholar.

"During Facebook chats, Zahid Al Hindi and Mothasim Billah used to motivate them frequently. Once Kamaran Sha of Pakistan shared literature through Facebook on explosives wherein three methods of explosive manufacturing from the locally and easily available chemicals were narrated," the officer said.