Mumbai: A 31-year-old man who stabbed two security guards in a Mumbai suburb after questioning their religion carried out what authorities suspect was a “lone wolf” terror attack inspired by his desire to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
According to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Zaib Zuber Ansari left behind handwritten notes during a search of his residence in which he described the stabbing incident in Mira Road as his initial move toward aligning with the terrorist organisation. Sources in the Maharashtra ATS told news agency ANI that the notes also contained references to ‘jihad’ and ‘Gaza’.
Ansari, a science graduate who had spent several years in the United States, returned to India in 2019 after failing to secure employment there. He lived alone in Mira Road and earned a living by providing online chemistry coaching. Investigators believe that his prolonged isolation led him to become radicalised through online content.
The attack occurred on Monday morning near an under-construction building in the Naya Nagar area of Mira Road. Police said Ansari approached the two guards on duty, initially asking for directions. He then returned and inquired about their religion. Eyewitness accounts indicate that he allegedly forced one guard to recite the Kalma (Islamic verses) and, when the guard could not comply, attacked both men with a sharp weapon.
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The victims, identified as Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Ramesh Sen, suffered serious injuries and were immediately taken to hospital for treatment. Mishra continues to remain in critical condition.
Ansari was apprehended within 90 minutes of the assault after police traced him through CCTV footage. A case has been registered against him under relevant sections for attempted murder, and the Maharashtra ATS has taken over the investigation.
Authorities are now scrutinising the digital data from Ansari’s mobile phone and laptop to ascertain whether he had any direct communication with handlers, possibly across the border. So far, the probe points toward an isolated act driven by self-radicalisation.
The Maharashtra ATS is treating the case as a terror-related incident linked to ISIS sympathies, while emphasising that the attacker operated independently as a lone wolf.
