Kolkata: Islamic State suspect arrested in July planned to attack Missionaries of Charity
Mohammad Musa, a 25-year-old Bangladeshi national, had intended to target American, British and Russian tourists, according to NIA officials.
Islamic State group suspect Mohammad Musa, who was arrested in West Bengal in July, was planning an attack on the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, officials of the National Investigation Agency told ANI on Sunday. Musa is also an activist of militant outfit Jammat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. He intended to target American, British and Russian tourists in Kolkata, NIA officials told the news agency.
The Bangladeshi national was interrogated by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation in Kolkata on December 9. He is believed to have planned the attack in retaliation to the bombing of Islamic State forces in conflict-ridden Syria and Libya, according to ANI.
According to the chargesheet filed by the NIA on Friday, he had advised members of the terror outfit to “remain in disguise as a non-Muslim”, Hindustan Times reported. Last week, the US Embassy in Delhi had issued an advisory asking American citizens in India to remain vigilant as there had been reports that the Islamic State group may target places “frequent by Westerners”.
The NIA had arrested the 25-year-old from Burdwan railway station on July 4. Musa had agreed to take on an assignment from Jammat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh leader Abu Sulaiman to target foreigners and US nationals in India and behead them, DNA reported on December 8.