NIA apprehends suspected terrorist Arafat Ali at Delhi airport

Team Udayavani, Sep 14, 2023, 7:44 PM IST

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken into custody suspected terrorist Arafat Ali, originally hailing from Teerthahalli, at Delhi Airport. The arrest comes in connection with Arafat Ali’s alleged involvement in several acts of terrorism, including the Mangalore wall writing case of November 27, 2020.

Arafat Ali’s journey into extremism appears to have begun in 2019 when he relocated from Teerthahalli to Bangalore to pursue his engineering studies. During this time, he was accused of actively instigating the Mangalore wall writing case.

Authorities have indicated that Arafat Ali maintained direct contact with individuals linked to the Shivamogga trial blast case, notably Mohammad Shareekh, and several other suspects. His alleged involvement extended to inciting the Mangalore cooker blast and graffiti incidents.

Notably, Arafat Ali originally hails from Indira Nagar in Theerthahalli town.

The investigative efforts of the NIA have already led them to Shivamogga, as they seek to gather additional information regarding the suspected terrorist’s activities in Theerthahalli and Shivamogga.

A significant detail in Arafat Ali’s timeline includes his departure from the country to work for a perfume company in Dubai, following which he went missing. His fugitive status since 2020 came to an end when NIA officials apprehended him upon his arrival in Delhi from Nairobi, Kenya.

Arafat Ali now faces serious charges related to incitement and providing financial support to ISIS and terrorism. The arrest is expected to yield further insights into the alleged network of extremist activities in the region.