‘White-collar’ terror: Doctors behind new network targeting J-K and beyond

A “white-collar” terror module unearthed by Jammu and Kashmir Police has revealed how educated professionals were radicalised over several years to form a terror organisation, Ansar Interim , planning attacks in Jammu & Kashmir as well as across other parts of India. The case is now under investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) .

Officials said the doctors, Muzamil Gannie, Umer-un Nabi (deceased), and Adeel Rather , along with preachers Maulvi Irfan, Qari Aamir, and Tufail Gazi , had been radicalised since 2016. Dr Umer-un Nabi , who carried out the car blast outside the Red Fort on November 10 that killed over a dozen people, had attempted to join terror groups in 2016 and 2018, indicating early vulnerability to extremist ideology. Investigators said the radicalisation process involved religious preachers and online propaganda , gradually normalising violence and glorifying martyrdom among educated professionals.

In April 2022, the accused doctors and preachers met at Eidgah in Srinagar and decided to form Ansar Interim , with Adeel as chief, Maulvi Irfan as deputy, and Gannie handling finances. The group deliberately recruited individuals with technical skills and mobility, including Danish alias Jasir from South Kashmir, to strengthen operational capacity. Funding came from personal resources, and materials like fertiliser from Haryana and Potassium Nitrate from Faridabad were procured to make explosives. Umer reportedly learned IED-making online and successfully prepared Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) , a highly unstable explosive.

Officials suspect ideological links to foreign terror groups , as “Ansar” is commonly associated with Al-Qaeda , and said online content played a key role in training and coordination. The network was exposed after JeM posters appeared in Bunpora, Nowgam , on October 19. CCTV footage and follow-up investigations led to the arrest of locals and ultimately to Maulvi Irfan Ahmad , a former paramedic turned Imam, who radicalised the doctors. Arrests of Gannie and others prevented further attacks, though Umer’s panic after the seizure of explosives led to the premature Red Fort blast .

Authorities admitted prior intelligence gaps, limited monitoring of online radicalisation, and the mobility of educated professionals across states had allowed the group to operate. Preventive measures have since been strengthened, including inter-state intelligence sharing, monitoring of chemical and fertiliser sales, online surveillance, and community policing in Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana.

Investigators warned the case highlights the nationwide threat posed by radicalised professionals, capable of using technical knowledge and mobility to plan attacks across states, underscoring the need for vigilance, timely reporting of suspicious activity, and stricter control over explosive precursors.