Ahmedabad

The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has apprehended a man allegedly radicalised by extremist ideologies and found in possession of weapons intended for targeted attacks, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused, Faizan Shaikh, originally from Dundawala in Rampur district, Uttar Pradesh, and currently residing in Charpul, Navsari district, Gujarat, was taken into custody on Sunday in connection with a terror conspiracy case, authorities added.

An ATS official said Shaikh had reportedly embraced the ideologies of terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Al Qaeda and had procured firearms and ammunition illegally. “The accused planned to target a specific set of individuals to incite fear and spread terror,” the official stated.

In a related development, the Gujarat ATS had arrested three individuals in November last year for allegedly planning a large-scale terrorist attack using weapons and chemicals. Among them was Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed from Telangana, who was reportedly preparing ricin, a highly toxic substance derived from castor bean waste. The other two, from Uttar Pradesh, were accused of supplying weapons for the planned attack, authorities had said at the time.

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The ATS has not disclosed further details about Shaikh’s intended targets or the ongoing investigation.