Mumbai, March 8: An engineering student arrested on charges of alleged connections to Jaish-e-Mohammed and ISIS has made significant revelations during questioning by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). The 21-year-old computer science student, Ayaan Yusuf Sheikh, was reportedly misled through hate-filled content circulated on the social media platform Telegram, linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed group.
Ayaan Sheikh is currently in ATS custody until March 9. According to the ATS, Sheikh had been actively involved in encrypted Telegram channels for the past six to seven months, interacting with individuals from various countries, including some Pakistani members using fake identities. Some members of these channels are reportedly connected to Jaish-e-Mohammed, which has previously disseminated content targeting Muslim communities globally.
The government agency revealed that the content found on Sheikh’s devices included videos depicting political conflicts in regions like Kashmir, audio messages related to terrorists, and materials highlighting the alleged persecution of Muslim communities in countries such as India, Myanmar, European nations, the United States, and Palestine. The ATS described this pattern as a model of brainwashing through hate crimes, where emotional manipulation of religious identity fosters online engagement and can influence offline actions.
According to the ATS, the content shared within the group indicated that the channels served as platforms for discussing hate crimes, where members debated appropriate responses, punishments, and measures to “defend” their community. While officials did not disclose specific details about the channels, they confirmed that Sheikh was actively involved and often reacted aggressively to posts related to punishment and retaliatory actions, with many posts explicitly claiming that Jaish-e-Mohammed was protecting Muslims worldwide, reinforcing the ideological beliefs shared within the group.
During interrogation, Sheikh admitted that the content often came in small, easily digestible pieces. Gradually, he began joining encrypted messaging groups and channels where he could converse with others sharing similar interests. In these groups, he encountered extensive ideological material attempting to justify violence as a means of defending the community and fighting alleged persecution. Ayaan mentioned that he had shared some of the channel’s content in group chats with close friends.
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