UP ATS arrests 'Hizbul Mujahideen' terrorist in Kanpur

KANPUR: Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested an alleged member of terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen in Kanpur on Wednesday. The suspect named as Qamar Uj Zama was arrested on a tip-off from the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh said that Zama was active from April 2018 when he had first posted his picture on Facebook with AK 47. Singh also said that Zama was a native of Assam and had joined the outfit in 2017.
As per ATS sources, the arrested suspected terrorist has been identified as Qamer Uz Zaman alias Dr Huraira alias Qamaruddin (37) son of late Syedul Hasan, who originally hails from Sarak Pili village in Nagaon area and post Jamunamukh Hozai in Assam.
"He came in contact with a terrorist called Osama, and then joined the Pakistan-based terror-outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in 2017. Thereafter, he underwent a training at a militant camp in Jammu & Kashmir. He had also spent his time in Philippines Palau Island from 2008 to 2011. He got married in 2013 to a local girl of Assam and they have a son," said IG ATS Asim Arun.
ATS sources further informed that following strong inputs from the National Investigating Agency (NIA) regarding Qamer Uz Zaman's movement in Kanpur, ATS sleuths led by ASP Dinesh Yadav and Deputy SP Dinesh Puri acting on a tip-off zeroed in on his location in Shiv Nagar area of Chakeri in the City and made his arrest possible in the early hours of Thursday.
"He was arrested from Shivnagar area of Chakeri at around 5 a.m. He confessed to being an operative of Hizbul Mujahideen, a Pakistan-based terror organisation. Qamer Uz Zaman, who was quite active on social media since April 2018, was on the radar of NIA. Recently, he had uploaded his picture wherein he had posed with an AK 47 and identified himself as Dr Huraira. During further course of the investigation, he told ATS sleuths that he was sent to Kanpur for a recce of a religious place so that a possible terror attack could be executed there on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Several videos, pictures and blueprint of a religious site were found to be uploaded onto his mobile phone. At present, investigations are underway and ATS is expecting more vital information from him. Once we will procure his remand, we will also question him that besides Kanpur which other cities of the state were on his target. He also revealed that he is of Indian nationality and a graduate dropout from a college in Assam and has a diploma in a computer course and typing. Following strong inputs provided by NIA, state's ATS team was trying to zero-on him since the past ten days at his possible hideout in Chakeri area of the city," ATS sources said further.
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