nationpaper

Updated: Jul 04, 2016 11:38 IST

NEW DELHI: Chief of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Maulana Asim Umar, has asked Indian Muslims to start jihad by killing senior Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers.

Umar, whose original name is Sanaul Haq, was declared chief of al Qaeda’s offshoot for the Indian Subcontinent in a video released by group head Ayman al-Zawahiri in September 2014.

In his statement, Umar said the state and its departments were equally responsible for the incidents against Muslims in India.

“Otherwise how could anyone dare to just take knives and cut Muslims like vegetables? We say if the Indian state is not involved in the massacre of Muslims, then Muslim youth should also be given free hand, as given to Hindu mobsters during riots,” said the statement put out by SITE Intelligence Group, a non-governmental counter terror group that researches and analyses terror threats.

According to counter-terror officials, Umar was a native of Sambhal in UP before leaving India for Pakistan in 1999.

He said Indian Muslims should follow the example of their brethren in Syria, adding that they should look at the example of Europe where one single Mujahid after another has disturbed the entire continent .“Kill senior officers of institutions and administrative departments that get (people to) start these riots. Target IPS and IAS officers, cause them financial losses,” said the statement.

Taking note of the statement, National Investigation Agency chief Sharad Kumar said, “We will analyse the statement.”

The US state department designated AQIS a ‘foreign terrorist organisation’ and Umar a ‘global terrorist’ only a few days ago.