Maharashtra ATS Probes Knife Attack as Self-Radicalization Case

Maharashtra authorities are investigating a knife attack on two security guards in Mira Road, Thane district, as a suspected case of self-radicalization, with the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad recovering materials suggesting the assailant's intent to join the Islamic State.

The incident occurred early Monday near an under-construction building in the Naya Nagar area of Mira Road East. Zaib Zubair Ansari, 31, approached security guards Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Sen, initially asking for directions to a nearby mosque. When they said they did not know the location, he questioned their religion and whether they were Hindus, officials said. Ansari left briefly before returning with a knife. He asked the guards to recite the Kalma, an Islamic creed, and stabbed them after they could not, leaving Mishra in critical condition with serious internal injuries and Sen with less severe wounds. Sen fled to a security cabin and alerted police.

Local police identified Ansari using CCTV footage and arrested him within 90 minutes at his rented residence in the Smita Regency building, about 200 meters from the scene. The case was swiftly transferred to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad,...