Ten Daesh men, who were arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in January for trying to poison the 'maha prasad' at a temple in Mubra town of Thane district, were influenced by the controversial Islamic preacher, Zakir Naik, claimed the ATS.
Talha Potrik, an accused, tried to mix poison in the temple offering during December last year when the temple had organised Shrimadh Bhagwat Katha. The men belong to the group, Ummat-e-Mohammaddiya.
The charge sheet claimed that a man named Abu Hamza is the leader of the Daesh group. The accused terrorists also underwent training for making explosives and participated in blast trials at a hill near the Mumbra bypass, reported India Today. The ATS had filed the charge sheet earlier in July and submitted it to the Mumbai Court.
The accused have been identified as Abu Hamza, Fahad Ansari, Talha Potrik, Mohsin Khan alias Abu Marya, Mohammad Takky Khan alias Abu Khalid, Atai Waris Abdul Rashid Shaikh alias Mazhar, Salman Khan alias Abu Ubeda, Mushahed Ul-Islam, Jamman Khutepad alias Abu Kital and a minor.
The ATS officials said that several photos and videos of Zakir Naik were recovered from the social media profiles of the accused. "A few months before their arrests, Jamman, Salman, Waris, and Fahad Mohammad had prepared explosives using hydrogen peroxide Abu Hamza along with other accused had conducted trials of the explosion. They had also surveyed the Mumbra temple," said the charge sheet.
