14 April,2026 11:20 AM IST | Lucknow | mid-day online correspondent
The accused were preparing for a major attack using a human bomb. Representational pic
In a major case related to a terror conspiracy, an NIA/ATS Special Court in Lucknow has sentenced three terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda to life imprisonment, news agency reported. The convicts - Minhaj, Masruddin, and Tauheed - were associated with the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind module.
According to the case details, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested Minhaj from the Dubagga area. Based on his disclosure on July 11, 2021, Masruddin and Tauheed were also subsequently apprehended on the same day.
Officers probing the case highlighted that a cooker bomb was recovered from Minhaj's residence, while explosive materials and a pistol were seized from the other accused, ANI reported.
Investigating agencies said that the trio was planning serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh around August 15, 2021. They were also allegedly preparing for a major attack using a human bomb.
During interrogation, it emerged that the accused were acting on the instructions of Umar Halmandi, a handler of Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent, who was actively involved in recruitment and strengthening the terror network in India, ANI reported.
The agencies further stated that the conspiracy was aimed at spreading unrest in the state and across the country following the Ram Mandir verdict.
The arrests took place based on information shared by Halmandi himself, who had identified and recruited some persons in Lucknow for raising the Al-Qaeda module in the region.
He had further informed the police about the Al Qaeda affiliate 'Ansaar Gajwatul Hind' (AGH)', an outfit raised to carry out a series of terrorist acts before August 15, 2021, in various cities of UP, especially Lucknow.
Special Public Prosecutor Mithilesh Kumar Singh detailed the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Speaking to the media, Singh said that the Uttar Pradesh ATS had received inputs about Halmandi, an Al-Qaeda associate operating along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, who had been tasked with establishing links in India.
He further stated, "The ATS had information that Umar Halmandi, who is associated with Al-Qaeda, was working on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and was given the responsibility of linking Al-Qaeda in India." In this context, he contacted Tauheed, and Tauheed contacted Minhaj in Lucknow. Minhaj then involved Masruddin, and through Masruddin, three others - Muied, Mustaqueem, and Shakeel - were added."
Singh said that the accused primarily communicated online due to restrictions during the Covid-19 period, which initially made evidence collection challenging.
"It was 2021, the time of COVID. So at that time, physical contact was difficult. All contacts were being made online. And online itself, Tauheed contacted Minhaj. After that, it was difficult to gather evidence at that time. And when these people were caught based on information, the mobiles recovered from them had a lot of chatting... and through that, the whole case came out," he added.
The prosecution's side presented 42 witnesses and 149 documents. Apart from that, 109 material exhibits were proved. From the defence's side, 5 witnesses were presented, the SPP said. The court's verdict is being seen as a major success for the security agencies.
Earlier in November 2025, several Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists were arrested and jailed.
(With inputs from ANI)
