Two al Qaeda operatives, believed to be members of its sleeper cell and motivating youths to join the terror group, were arrested from the steel city today on the eve of Republic Day.
East Singhbhum district police arrested Ahmed Masood Akram Sheikh alias Masood alias Monu from Dhatkidih, while Nasim Akhtar alias Raju was nabbed from Road No 6, Zakirnagar, Old Purulia Road, Senior Superintendent of Police Anoop T Mathew told newsmen here.
The two are members of al Qaeda's sleeper cell and motivate youths of the steel city as well as other parts of Jharkhand to join and expand the organisation, he said.
The police picked up 35-year-old Masood following inputs provided by Jamshedpur-based Abdul Sami, who was arrested by Delhi Police special cell from Mewat in Haryana last week.
Masood confessed that he had been linked with the terrorist group since 2003 after he was motivated to join it by Abdul Rehman Katki, who had been arrested by Delhi Police from Cuttack in December last year.
He told the police that he had first met Rehman, a frequent visitor to the steel city, at the Jama Masjid at Sakchi in 2003 and was influenced by him to join the terrorist organisation.
Masood had visited Saudi Arab in 2011 and met Sami on his return and convinced him (Sami) to join the group. He also played a crucial role in sending Sami to Pakistan for terrorist training, Mathew said.
Masood, he said, had also confessed to the police that he had one more operative in his cell but claimed knew him only by face and that he too had received terrorist training in Pakistan.
Search is on for the operative, Mathew added.
