Father of slain ‘ISIS’ terrorist Mohammad Saifullah, who was killed by members of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad in Lucknow, has refused to accept the mortal remains of his son, calling him a ‘traitor’.
The 24-year-old was shot dead early Wednesday morning after an almost 12-hour-long operation to flush him out of the safe house in a Lucknow residential neighborhood.
“How can he, who could not remain loyal to his country, remain loyal to us?” Sartaj lamented.
Here’s what his father said:
According to reports, Uttar Pradesh ATS tried for over an hour to make Saifullah surrender, but it was in vain. They even roped in his family, including his brother and father, to try to persuade him to surrender.
He was shot when he shot at ATS officers when they stormed the house, India Today reported.
According to Saifullah’s father, his son left home two months ago after getting beaten up by his father for being unemployed.
“Last Monday he called me up and said he is going to Saudi Arabia,” Sartaj told Indian Express.
Saifulla was allegedly part of the ‘Khurasan’ ISIS, a Pakistan-based module of the Islamic State, that was held reposnsible for the cafe attack in Dhaka last year and the Quetta terror attack in Pakistan. It is said to be based out of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Saifulla is said to part of a growing number of young Muslim boys who are taking to internet-guided self-radicalisation to deal with problems such as unemployment.
The ATS got wind of the militant’s whereabouts due to an intelligence tip-off following the blast in Bhopal-Ujjain train on Tuesday morning, which injured at least nine people. It is being cited as the first Islamic State attack in the country.
Ammunition, explosives, weapons, mobile phones, sim cards, walkie-talkies, cash and gold are among the things found in the house he was shot inside.
Feature Image Source: Twitter/ANI