NEW DELHI: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested five more people allegedly linked to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) from Patan district.The five accused, identified as Bilal Abidbhai Shera, Mohammad Ayub Kadiwala alias Mohammed Khadiyasan, Mohammad Palanpuri alias Khali Ayub Sunsara, Shafia Rais Mukhti alias Shafi Chapi and Mohammad Hasan Kardia alias Hasan Haidarpuri, were arrested from Khadiyal village in Siddhpur taluka, officials said on Thursday.The five were produced before Judicial Magistrate R M Bhatia at Kadi in Mehsana district, who remanded them in ATS custody until July 24.The arrests have brought the number of accused held in connection with the alleged module to 13 after eight alleged JeM operatives were arrested on July 3. The ATS is now investigating the suspected network’s links to bomb-making material, JeM literature and the procurement and concealment of materials allegedly intended for terror activities.Public prosecutor PR Dantani said the ATS sought custodial interrogation after informing the court that one of the newly arrested accused had allegedly attempted to make a time bomb. Bomb-making material and JeM literature in Urdu were yet to be recovered, he said.“Their names came up during the investigation. It was revealed that one of the accused had tried to make a time bomb. He also possessed that literature. The literature and materials related to Jaish-e-Mohammed in Urdu are yet to be recovered. Therefore, police sought remand for further investigation,” Dantani told reporters.According to Dantani, the accused had also allegedly attempted to test a crude time bomb, but the experiment was unsuccessful. The ATS is investigating where the bomb-making material was procured from, where it was concealed and how the accused obtained jihadi books linked to JeM, he said.The prosecutor further said one of the eight people arrested earlier, identified as Amin, had allegedly supplied JeM material to the newly arrested accused, while another accused was aware of the method of making bombs.The latest arrests follow the Gujarat ATS’s earlier crackdown on eight alleged members of the banned Pakistan-based terror organisation from different parts of Gujarat and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. The ATS had alleged that the accused were working on behalf of JeM to establish an active network in Gujarat to further the outfit’s terror activities.The eight arrested earlier were identified as Ahmed, Ibrahim, Mudassir, Zakaria Durani, Mufti Faujaan, Mohammad Amin Shera, Mohammad Abdul and Bilal Mohammad.A case was registered against them under Sections 13, 17, 18, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Sections 148 and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, according to the Gujarat ATS.
