Kolkata youth arrested for suspected terror links had worked in Kerala for 2 years

The man is alleged to be connected to the men nabbed by the NIA from Kerala and West Bengal last week, suspected to be part of Al Qaeda modules.
Representative image of a man
Representative image of a man
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A Special Task Force (STF) in West Bengal on Saturday arrested a youth from Murshidabad district for having suspected terror links. The man identified as 25-year-old Samim Ansari had been working as a migrant worker in Kerala a year ago. The man is alleged to be connected to the men who were nabbed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Kerala and West Bengal last week suspected to be part of Al Qaeda modules.

"West Bengal STF along with police held Ansari late Friday night on suspected terror links and in connection with arrests made by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier on," Additional Director General of Police (STF) Vineet Goyel told IANS. He is taken into custody for further interrogation.

The youth was arrested from his residence at Naodapara area of Jalangi village in West Bengal. According to police sources, he had close contacts with suspected Al-Qaeda militant Al Mamun Kamal who was arrested from the district last week.

Ansari worked in Kerala for around two years as a construction labourer but returned to his village a year ago, where he was living with his wife and family.

The NIA had conducted raids at multiple locations in Murshidabad district of West Bengal and in Ernakulam district of Kerala last week. A total of nine men -- three from Kerala and six from West Bengal -- were arrested.

The arrested three men from Kerala, have been posing as migrant workers. One among them, Mosaraf Hossen, had been living in Perumbavoor for the past seven years with his wife and children. Two others who were also working as migrant workers, were nabbed from Pathalam in Ernakulam.

According to officials, the accused men allegedly aimed to carry out terror strikes in the country. Reports have also surfaced that the men had planned to deliver weapons to Jammu and Kashmir.

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