Mumbai-based software engineer Anees Ansari, who was arrested in October 2014 for allegedly planning a terror attack in an American school at a commercial complex in Mumbai, was persuading an American youth to carry out terror attacks in America.
In a chat on social networking website Facebook, Ansari had asked American youth Omar Elhajj to carry out "LONE WOLF ATTACKS" in America and "shake the ground beneath the feet of Obama," Daily News & Analysis reported.
The daily retrieved the messages exchanged between Elhajj and Ansari's alleged account -- Usayrim Logan -- from October last year, before Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Ansari for allegedly planning to bomb the American School at Bandra-Kurla Complex.
Ansari tried to influence Elhajj, who was apparently filled with venom against the United States, to strike his enemies in their own land.
When Elhajj said, "I am in the evil united snakes of America, and as I said, not by choice," Ansari replied asking if Elhajj knew how fortunate he was to live in the land of his enemies as he can destroy them right inside their own territory.
"Mujahideen all across the lands of Jihad from Yemen to Somalia to Afghanistan would love to be in America today. While they roam wearing their martyrdom belts... they all wish they were in America... to strike the enemy right inside its own territory... do you know of "LONE WOLF ATTACKS"...almost every Mujahid's dream... to conduct them in America... we are far away, cannot do much..." Ansari replied from his Facebook account.
He further gave Elhajj suggestions to plan his terror attacks. "...there are ways with which you could shake the ground beneath the feet of Obama... and that with less than 100 dollars... (you) just need the courage to do it... you know of vehicle bombs... IEDs or pressure cooker bombs...Thermite bombs, etc...?" he said.
While influencing Elhajj to plan terror strike in America, he also shared his terror plans for India. He told the US-based youth that he is planning to bomb an American school in Mumbai, "that has children from about 10 different allies of America, too, including France and Italy".
Though Elhajj expressed his willingness to follow Ansari's "advice," he also expressed his hesitation on the latter's plan to attack schools. Elhajj asked him to reconsider his plans to attack the American school as there were innocent children in it.
"I must ask you to consider or reconsider (one) thing about your plans that are coming up. Please be careful... and why would you target American school? There are innocent young children there. It is not their fault," Elhajj said.
To this Ansari replied saying that attacking the young and innocent is the best way to target the enemies. "...nothing hurts the enemy more than this... not one of them is innocent... you need to hit the enemy where it hurts them the most... and that is their civilians... soldiers die anyway... they signed up for it..." he added.
Though Elhajj agreed with his point, he was still not impressed with the idea of hurting children. When he once again asked Ansari to reconsider targeting schools, he explained how his plans will have grave impact on their enemies.
"This ain't any school that's on my list... it's a special school that has VIP students only from the top governing families in America and Europe... plus the staff... teachers... etc are all high profile... it's not a piece of cake to be even near it, as it is heavily guarded by Indian security forces 24/7," he said.
He then continued to persuade Elhajj to work on the implementation of the plans he has suggested against those in America and even said that if he was able to implement the plans, it will help "the Islamic State far more than any mujahid actually fighting in its front lines".
"...If America realises that its war across the Middle East has actually reached its home ground, then that would be a decisive victory in itself for the Mujahideen of the Islamic State and the Mujahideen all around the world," Logan said.
