Mumbai guard attack: ATS, NIA join investigation as CM says accused self-radicalised through literature, social media

Mumbai guard attack: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the accused in the Mumbai attack case appears to have been self-radicalised with extensive exposure to literature, and online content deemed as key factors. 

Addressing the incident, Fadnavis said preliminary findings suggest the accused acted with a jihadist motive and targeted a security guard based on religious identity.

“Overall, it seems to be a case of self-radicalisation. Through books, literature and the internet, the accused radicalised himself,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the attack was carried out with the intent to target people from another community.

Maharashtra CM further said that the Anti-Terrorism Squad and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have joined the investigation to establish possible links and identify other who might be involved in the attack and may have been influenced in a similar manner. 

“Who all are behind this radicalisation, what links exist, and whether others have been radicalised in the same way will be brought out during the probe,” he said.

The investigators are probing the case as lone-wolf terror attack case driven by radical ideology. The accused has been identified as Zaib Zuber Ansari. He  reportedly asked the guards to recite 'Kalma' before attacking them with a sharp weapon.

The incident was reported at 4 am on Monday at an under-construction site located behind Wockhardt Hospital. Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Sen  were on duty when Ansari allegedly confronted them.

The police tracked down the accused within 90 minutes using CCTV footage from the area and arrested him. A case has been registered at Naya Nagar police station under charges, including attempt to murder and promoting enmity between groups.

Ansari was later produced before a court in Thane, which remanded him to police custody till May 4.