A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has convicted two more accused involved in a terror plot organized by the banned al-Qaeda and sentenced them to 20 months in jail, an official statement said on Saturday.
A fine of ₹5,000 each was also imposed on Mohd Mustaqueem and Shakeel, both residents of Lucknow, it said.
Earlier, on October 30, the court convicted Mohammad Moid of Lucknow in the same case related to the arrest of two al-Qaeda members.
The arrest by the Uttar Pradesh Counter-Terrorism Squad was made on July 11, 2021, based on information that al-Qaeda member Umar Halmandi was involved in the radicalization and recruitment of AQIS (al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent) members in Lucknow, the statement said.
“Umar, who was based on the Pakistan-Afghan border, was operating in Lucknow to prepare youths for terrorist acts ahead of Independence Day 2021 in various cities of Uttar Pradesh state, it was found during the investigation of the case,” it said.
After investigation, the NIA filed one main and one supplementary charge sheet against a total of six arrested accused in the case.
Published – 29 Nov 2025 21:56 IST
