LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh ATS on Saturday claimed that Murtaza Abbasi, held for the attack at Gorakhnath temple, became an IS member in 2020 and transferred money to the IS backers. It claimed that the accused in the Gorakhnath temple attack case, an IIT-Bombay graduate, had transferred Rs 8.5 lakh to sympathisers of the IS from his own account.
Officials said Murtaza, who is in police remand till May 2, acted like an IS-inspired “lone wolf” and took oath as an IS member in 2020.
Prashant Kumar, ADG, law and order, said after collating the data recovered by forensic experts from electronic devices seized from Murtaza’s possession, the ATS officials said in 2013 he had taken the pledge as a member of a terror organisation, Ansar al-Tawhid, on social media. In 2014, Ansar al-Tawhid merged with IS, after which Murtaza took oath as an ISIS member in 2020.
“He was in touch with IS fighters and sympathisers and interacted with them through social media. In 2014, Bengaluru police had arrested IS propaganda activist Mehdi Biswas with whom Murtaza was in touch. Murtaza was deeply influenced by ‘radical preachers’,” the ADG said. “The money transaction trail established that Murtaza transferred Rs 8.5 lakh to the accounts of IS members for terror activities,” he added. The ADG said Murtaza had set up a firing range in his house to practise shooting with small weapons. He wanted to have an AK-47 rifle and used to read about missile technology, he added.
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