Gujarat ATS Detains Alleged Female Al Qaeda Operative in Bengaluru

Arrest of Al Qaeda Suspect in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, July 30: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has apprehended a woman suspected of being affiliated with Al Qaeda in Bengaluru, as reported by police sources on Wednesday.

In response to this incident, local authorities in Bengaluru have increased intelligence monitoring throughout the city.

The suspect has been identified as Shama Parveen, a 33-year-old from Jharkhand. Investigations by the ATS suggest her involvement in bolstering the Al Qaeda network within Bengaluru, where she had been living in the Manorayanapalya area.

The arrest occurred on Tuesday during a coordinated operation involving the Gujarat ATS and local law enforcement. Authorities also confiscated digital devices, including a laptop and mobile phones, from her possession.

According to police reports, Shama Parveen, a graduate, moved to Bengaluru three years ago to live with her brother, who works as a software engineer.

She is accused of collaborating with Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and has reportedly promoted the group's ideology on social media, particularly Instagram. Authorities noted that she shared videos featuring a prominent Al Qaeda operative and urged young people to engage in terrorism.

Previously, the Gujarat ATS had arrested four other Al Qaeda operatives, and during their investigation, they discovered connections between these individuals and Shama Parveen. Acting on this evidence, the ATS team traveled to Karnataka to make the arrest. Following her detention, she was presented in court and subsequently taken to Gujarat after securing a transit warrant, as confirmed by police sources.

In a related incident, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had previously detained a significant terror suspect at Kempe Gowda International Airport in Bengaluru on August 31, 2024.

This suspect, identified as Aziz Ahamad (also known as Aziz Ahmed or Jaleel Aziz) from Tamil Nadu, is a key figure in the Tamil Nadu Hizb-ut-Tahrir case, which involves efforts to radicalize youth and establish an Islamic caliphate in India.

He was arrested at the Bengaluru International Airport while attempting to flee the country.

According to the NIA, the case involves six accused individuals influenced by the extremist ideology of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, an international organization advocating for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate and the enforcement of a constitution authored by its founder, Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani.