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Vijay Rupani links ISIS case with Ahmed Patel, Cong leader says 'let's not divide peace-loving Gujaratis'

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has demanded Ahmed Patel's resignation as MP, alleging that a suspected ISIS operative arrested recently used to work at a hospital where Patel was patron

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One of the two suspected ISIS 'head-hunters' based in Gujarat and arrested on October 25 for recruiting youth for terror attacks worked at a prominent hospital in Gujarat, while his accomplice was a law student.

The duo was planning attacks on the Jewish community, the police said.

After the being arrested by Gujarat Police's Anti Terror Squad (ATS), Stimberwala Mohammed Kasim, who worked as an echo-cardiogram (ECG) technician at the Sardar Patel Hospital and Heart Institute, Ankleshwar, resigned from his job.

Interestingly, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel has an old association with the hospital. The hospital's website says: "On the 17th of June 1979 the Sardar Patel trust met under the auspices of Bhailalbhai Patel, Ahmed Patel and other trustees to establish the Sardar Vallabhai Rotary General Hospital."

When DNA sought his reaction, Patel said, "Let's not divide peace-loving Gujaratis while fighting terrorism. We request that matters of national security not be politicised keeping elections in mind. The allegations are completely baseless. My party and I appreciate the ATS's effort to nab the two terrorists. I demand strict and speedy action against them."

Kasim, along with Ubed Ahmed Mirza, was arrested for planning "lone wolf attacks". He had planned to leave for hijrat to Jamaica and meet radical preacher Abdullah el-Faisal, who had been guiding them.

The Gujarat ATS has stated in its report that the duo were planning attacks on the Jewish community.

"Reconnaissance of Magean Abraham Synagogue in Ahmedabad was conducted by Kasim Stimberwala recently after discussion with Ubed Mirza," the report stated.

Police surveillance has revealed that Kasim was planning to move to Jamaica as a ECG technician and had obtained a work visa. "Both the accused persons are making intensive efforts to radicalise and actively recruit youth from various spectrums of society," the Gujarat ATS report says.

Based on "technical surveillance," the police has quoted several telephonic conversations to establish how they were radicalising youth and recruiting them to carry out attacks in the name of ISIS.

The two were involved in the activities of the Islamic State since 2013-14 and were in contact with Shafi Armar, alias Zahid al-Hindi, the police has stated in its report.

Armar is wanted in various cases of bomb blasts carried out by Indian Mujahideen and is suspected to have joined ISIS after being on the run and was based in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region initially. He has been responsible for radicalisation of several Indian Muslim youth and luring them to ISIS.

Sources in the ATS said the two youth are part of a group of 15 young men loyal to ISIS. "Of this, at least nine are from Ahmedabad and Surat. Six have already been radicalised and can carry out lone wolf attacks anywhere in Gujarat," said a source in the ATS.?

Investigations have also revealed that the two Surat residents arrested on Wednesday for links with ISIS were also allegedly involved in recruiting for terror activities.

The duo first came under lens of Intelligence agencies when in August 2014 a group of four boys from Hyderabad was apprehended in Kolkata as they were on their way to Bangladesh -- from where they were headed to Iraq to join ISIS.

The youth revealed the identities of two of their handlers as Kasim and Ubed Mirza alias Obaid and also provided their phone numbers.

While Kasim was traced working at the Sardar Patel hospital in Gujarat, Ubed, a law student, ran a restaurant in Surat.

The hospital, however, denied any wrongdoing on its part. It said that Kasim had resigned from his job as eco technician on October 4, and he was relieved on October 24.

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