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Mohammad Mustaqueem and Shakeel, both residents of Lucknow, were convicted by a special NIA court over their involvement in the 2021 Lucknow Al-Qaeda terror conspiracy case.
The NIA took over the terror module investigation and named six accused in the case. (Representational Image)
A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has convicted two more accused in connection with the Lucknow Al-Qaeda terror conspiracy case, according to an official statement by the anti-terror body.
Mohammad Mustaqueem and Shakeel, both residents of Lucknow, were convicted by the NIA court under Section 25 (1B)(a) of the Arms Act and Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code. The court sentenced them for a period of 20 months, along with a fine of Rs 5,000.
The case goes back to 2021, when the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) busted a terror module linked to Al-Qaeda in Lucknow after it nabbed two terrorists from the Kakori area of the city.
The ATS had received information that an Al-Qaeda terrorist based near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Umar Halmandi, was trying to recruit Indian youths for the terror outfit. Halmandi had identified a few marginalised people in Lucknow to radicalise and recruit them into the AQIS organisation.
The NIA, which took over the case from the ATS, chargesheeted five accused on January 5, 2022, and subsequently, filed a supplementary chargesheet against one more in August of the same year.
The main accused, identified as Minhaz Ahmed and Masiruddin aka Mushir, were accused of receiving instructions from Halmandi to carry out terror activities in various cities of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, before August 15, 2021, police said. Shakeel and Mohd Mustaqeem aided the duo in procuring weapons and ammunition.
Minjah was radicalised by the accused Tawheed and Adil Nabi alias Musa, and had, in turn, conspired with Museeruddin, who even took a “baiyat” (pledge of loyalty) to promote the terror conspiracy. Minjah and Museeruddin had procured arms, ammunition and explosive material with an intention to wage war against the government of India, the NIA said.
On October 30, 2025, the court had convicted one Mohammad Moid of Lucknow in the same case, related to the arrest of two members of the banned Al-Qaeda terrorist organisation. Moid was sentenced to 20 months with a fine of Rs 5,000 after he pleaded guilty.
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
November 29, 2025, 3:45 PM IST
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