New Delhi: Indian intelligence agencies are on heightened alert after a video featuring terrorist Farhatullah Ghori emerged, urging sleeper cells across the country to execute attacks on trains and other critical infrastructure. Ghori, a fugitive jihadist believed to be residing in Pakistan, has a history of orchestrating high-profile attacks with the assistance of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The video, which has been circulating for 1-2 weeks, shows Ghori instructing sleeper cells on various methods to disrupt India’s railway network. He provides detailed instructions on bomb-making techniques using pressure cookers and encourages attacks on railway lines, petrol pipelines, and logistical chains to “precipitate chaos” in the country. Ghori’s inflammatory rhetoric includes a call for “fidayeen” (suicide) attacks, targeting Hindu leaders and police personnel.
Ghori’s message is explicit about the need to disrupt essential infrastructure and create widespread panic. “Target petrol pipelines, their logistics chain, and the collaborators… disrupt the railway lines, their transport system… These will precipitate chaos,” he says in the video. He also criticizes the Indian government’s actions against sleeper cells, citing asset seizures by agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The threat comes in the wake of recent sabotage incidents on Indian railways. Authorities are currently investigating possible links between Ghori’s video and these incidents, including the recent bomb blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru. The blast, which occurred on March 1, resulted in ten injuries. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has made notable progress in this case, arresting several individuals, including Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa and Mussavir Hussain Shazib.
The NIA’s ongoing investigation into the Rameshwaram Cafe attack has also identified other suspects involved, such as Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzammil Shareef, who are currently in custody. These developments indicate a broader pattern of coordinated attacks potentially linked to Ghori’s directives.
Farhatullah Ghori is a notorious figure in terrorist circles, with connections to several high-profile attacks. Notably, he was involved in the 2002 Akshardham Temple attack in Gujarat, which caused over 30 deaths and injured 80 others. Ghori is also linked to the 2005 suicide attack on the Task Force office in Hyderabad. Last year, Delhi Police revealed that Ghori was involved in online jihadist recruitment, further underscoring his continued influence and threat.
The Indian government and intelligence agencies are intensifying their efforts to counter the threats posed by Ghori and his network. Increased security measures are being implemented across critical infrastructure, including railways and petroleum pipelines, to prevent potential attacks. Authorities are also working closely with international partners to track and neutralize threats originating from outside India.