Deported from Saudi, ‘AQIS suspect’ Syed Mohammad Zishan Ali in custody
The police told Additional Sessions Judge Siddhartha Sharma that the suspect, Syed Zishan Ali, was an active member of the AQIS. They said that Ali needed to be interrogated to ascertain the location of his brother Syed Mohammad Arshiyan and brother-in-law Sabeel Ahmed, who is the brother of alleged Glasgow airport attack mastermind Kafil Ahmed.
Al-Qaeda terrorist Syed Mohammad Zishan Ali has been arrested at the IGI airport in Delhi at the PHQ police on Thursday. Express Photo By Amit Mehra 10 August 2017
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An Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) suspect, who was arrested by Delhi Police on Wednesday after being deported from Saudi Arabia for visa violations, was remanded in 14-day police custody on Thursday. The police told Additional Sessions Judge Siddhartha Sharma that the suspect, Syed Zishan Ali, was an active member of the AQIS. They said that Ali needed to be interrogated to ascertain the location of his brother Syed Mohammad Arshiyan and brother-in-law Sabeel Ahmed, who is the brother of alleged Glasgow airport attack mastermind Kafil Ahmed. The Delhi Police Special Cell sought Ali’s custody “to identify the logistics/finance aid to his terrorist outfit from India and abroad and confront the evidences collected so far”.
The Special Cell had claimed to have busted the AQIS module with the arrests of five persons in 2015. They reportedly disclosed the involvement of 12 others, including Ali. A total of 17 people were chargesheeted under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, but only six persons including Ali have been arrested so far. According to the Special Cell, the accused were planning an “untoward terrorist incident” in Delhi and NCR. Sources said Ali was allegedly in charge of recruitment of youths from India, Pakistan and other South Asian countries.
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The police said that Ali’s name came up after the arrest of Mohammad Asif on December 14, 2015. Asif is allegedly a founding member of AQIS and in charge of the recruitment, motivation and training wing. His interrogation helped identify several members of the terror outfit and led to four more arrests, including that of Abdur Rehman, who the police chargesheet claims “delivered jihadi speeches” in Jamshedpur and visited Pakistan and met Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.
Ali’s brother Arshiyan is also alleged to have links with international terror outfits. He was last spotted in Saudi Arabia. The AQIS module case is listed for prosecution arguments on September 4.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
