Mohammed Shahid Faisal alias Zakir Ustad, a missing suspect from a 2012 terrorism case in Bengaluru and on the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA’s) wanted list with a Rs 10 lakh reward, has been identified as the alleged handler of a terror module involved in the March 1 blast at The Rameshwaram Cafe this year.
Faisal, 40, an engineering graduate from Bengaluru, disappeared in 2012 following links to an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) linked terror plot. Sources familiar with the probe revealed that he operated under aliases like “Colonel” and “Bhai”, communicating online with main accused individuals, directing recruitment, training, and planning of terrorist activities.
His role as the handler for the Islamic State (IS)-linked module connected to the Bengaluru blast came to light after NIA arrested suspects Mussavir Hussain Shazib, Abdul Matheen Taha, and Shoaib Mirza. Shazib, who allegedly planted an explosive device at the cafe, and Taha, the purported mastermind, were apprehended in West Bengal on April 12.
Faisal reportedly facilitated monthly Rs 50,000 payments via cryptocurrency to Shazib and Taha over four years following their 2020 identification in a Bengaluru case involving IS sympathizers.
Faisal’s identification came after Shoaib Mirza’s May 24 arrest in Karnataka. Mirza, linked to a 2012 LeT terror plot, allegedly connected Taha to Faisal, suspected to be overseas, for setting up a local IS module. Mirza, released in 2018, allegedly enabled encrypted email communication between Taha and Faisal, crucial in planning the Bengaluru attack, according to the NIA.
