The Gujarat Anti‑Terrorist Squad has arrested five more individuals in connection with its ongoing investigation into a terror module linked to the Pakistan‑based banned organisation Jaish‑e‑Mohammed. This brings the total number of arrests in the case to thirteen.

Officials stated that these arrests were connected to the earlier detention of eight alleged JeM operatives earlier this month. The five suspects were produced before Judicial Magistrate RM Bhatia in Kadi, Mehsana district, who remanded them to ATS custody until 24 July.

The ATS alleged that one of the accused had attempted to assemble a time bomb. The prosecution argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to recover bomb‑making material and Urdu literature linked to Jaish‑e‑Mohammed.

Public Prosecutor P.R. Dantani explained that investigators were seeking to determine the source of the bomb‑making material, where it had been concealed, and how the accused had obtained jihadi books associated with JeM. He added that one of the suspects had attempted to test a crude time bomb, but the experiment failed.

It was further alleged that one of the eight suspects arrested earlier, identified as Amin, had supplied JeM‑related material to the newly arrested individuals. Another suspect was reportedly familiar with the process of making bombs.

On 3 July, the Gujarat ATS had arrested eight alleged members of Jaish‑e‑Mohammed from different parts of Gujarat and neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. At that time, police had said the group was attempting to establish an active terror network in Gujarat.

The latest arrests underscore the continuing efforts of Pakistan‑backed terror outfits to infiltrate and expand their networks within India. The Gujarat ATS operation highlights the importance of intelligence‑driven policing and coordinated counter‑terror programs in dismantling extremist modules before they can execute attacks.

Agencies