Jaish terrorist caught doing recce of CM Suvendu: Bengal police find documents from house; Pulwama attack mastermind close to Sajjad Bhat

The Bengal Police have arrested a suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist from Purba Bardhaman district. The Special Task Force (STF) of the Bengal Police nabbed the man named Hamid Mondal from a housing complex late on Thursday night. Police sources said Mondal had been in hiding for the past two to three months to escape the eyes of investigating agencies. However, neighbours claim that he had been living there with the family for about a year and a half. The police arrested him and produced him before a court in Bardhaman. Suspected to be collecting information about Suvendu Adhikari, the police have recovered some such documents from Hamid Mandal's mobile and his house. It has been found that he was collecting information about Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Police suspect that he was plotting an attack. According to the police, Mandal may be associated with Pakistan-based banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). He is believed to be a close associate of Sajjad Bhat, who is believed to be one of the masterminds of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. On February 14, 2019, a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a CRPF bus in Pulwama, killing 40 CRPF personnel. After the arrest of suspected terrorists, BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar alleged that West Bengal has been a safe haven for radical Islamist groups for decades. He claimed that in the 15 years of the Mamata government, extremists have been encouraged. However, he also said that now due to the change in the mindset of the state, terrorists do not consider it a safe haven. He also alleged that hardline groups are now trying to attack leaders who have turned the water on the intentions of the hardliners.