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The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Pathikrit Chakraborty | TNN

Tamil Nadu youth held for blast threat at RSS offices was unhappy over Gyanvapi, hijab controversies: UP ATS

LUCKNOW: The Tamil Nadu youth who was arrested on June 7 for threatening to trigger blasts at RSS offices in Lucknow, Gonda and four places in Karnataka, was radicalized online and inspired by Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, claimed officials of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police on Wednesday.

However, the trigger for his threat to blow RSS offices was Gyanvapi row in UP and the hijab controversy in Karnataka, said ATS officials interrogating Raj Mohammed (20).

Additional Director General of Police, ATS, Naveen Arora, told TOI that Mohammed is a highly radicalised youth and used to read and follow literature on ‘jihad’.

“We have got a forensic examination conducted on his mobile phone recovered from his possession, reports of which are awaited,” he said.

The ATS also said that the WhatsApp and other chats retrieved by their cyber unit revealed that Mohammed was in touch with some suspicious groups in Lebanon and Syria.

Senior ATS officers said that Mohammed considered himself to be a ‘messianic figure’, who could rid the world of evil and injustice.

Officers also told TOI that when questioned as to why he threatened to plant a bomb only in states of Karnataka and UP, the accused replied that he was very angry and upset over Muslim girls not being allowed to wear hijab in schools in Karnataka. Also, the Gyanvapi issue in Uttar Pradesh was tormenting him.

Mohammed disclosed to investigators that he first checked the search engine to find the number of RSS offices and its office-bearers and then sent messages on WhatsApp.

“Some of them accepted the link sent to join his group, while others did not,” ATS said based on questioning of Raj Mohammed.

ATS also said that they are tracing the other contacts, who were in touch with Mohammed and will question them.

Senior ATS officials said that as per the investigation, it has come to fore that he was also a member of PFI from 2018 and 2021.

He was pursuing a diploma from a local government institution and was picked up from Thirukokarnam police station area on June 7.

To recall, one Neelakanth Tiwari of Sector N-2, Aliganj, who is also a teacher in Sultanpur College, lodged an FIR with the Madiaon police that he had received a link which was an invitation to a WhatsApp group from an unknown number.

When he joined the group, he had got three messages which was about bombing of six places.

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