Jaish-e-Mohammed Terror Suspect Tasked To Kill Nupur Sharma Arrested: UP Police

ANI said that the terrorist was allegedly in direct contact with the Jaish-e-Mohammed & Tehrikh-e-Taliban.

Muhammad Nadeem

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday, 12 August, arrested Muhammad Nadeem, an alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed and Tehrikh-e-Taliban Pakistan-linked terrorist who was allegedly tasked to kill suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, from UP's Saharanpur.

In a press note, the Anti-Terrorist Squad claimed, “UP ATS received information from allied agencies that a person in Saharanpur, influenced by the ideology of the JeM and other terrorist organisations is preparing for an attack.”

It added, “After identifying him, we carried out an interrogation and recovered a mobile phone, while carrying out primary investigation.”

“The phone had a pdf document on it, which was called ‘Explosive Course Fidae Force.' The phone also had chats and voice messages between Nadeem and the JeM and other terror outfits in Pakistan and Afghanistan," the press note further claimed.

The ATS also alleged that during the interrogation, the accused revealed that he communicated with terrorists from various organisations using WhatsApp, Telegram, IMO, Facebook messenger, and Club House

Nupur Sharma & the Prophet Muhammad Controversy

On 26 May, Nupur Sharma made controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad, during a prime-time show on Times Now.

Later, on 1 June, Naveen Jindal also posted a similar remark on Twitter. The remarks sparked protests across the country and drew global outrage, with 16 nations, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, summoning Indian embassies in response to the provocative comments.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, amidst the disapproval, suspended the party's spokesperson Nupur Sharma and dismissed their Delhi unit's media cell head Naveen Jindal from the party's core membership on 5 June.

Sharma, subsequently, issued an unequivocal apology and claimed that her life was under threat. The Delhi Police later provided her and her family with security.