New Delhi: Intelligence agencies in India have been closely monitoring "targeted" social media activities after a video surfaced where Al Qaeda chief Ayman Al Zawahiri praised the Karnataka student Muskan Khan for raising the "Allah hu Akbar" slogan after being hackled by a right-wing mob shouting "Jai Shri Ram" slogan in February last.
"We are closely monitoring some social media activities. There is all possibility that the forces inimical to India's security might try to create anarchy in the country taking advantage of such issues and controversies," said a senior intelligence official to ETV Bharat on Wednesday. The official was referring to the Al Qaeda video where its chief Zawahiri is seen praising Muskan for raising the slogan.
In the said video released by Al Qaeda mouthpiece, As-Sahab media, Zawahiri tagged Muskan as the "Noble Woman of India". Showing the video where the Karnataka college girls were found raising the slogan, the video said, "Mujahid sister Muskan Khan raising the slogan of Allah-o-Akbar in front of Hindu mobs in India." In eight minutes video, Zawahiri reportedly asked Muslims in the subcontinent to fight the assault on Islam "intellectually using the media and with weapons on the battlefield."
"The surface and circulation of the video are very critical for India's security perspective. We have asked all the agencies to monitor the activities in social media," the official said. The video with Zawahiri's speech carries much more significance as it has sidelined the speculations that the Al Qaeda chief has died in 2020.
It may be mentioned here that even after the speculated death of Zawahiri, several videos were issued by the terror outfit where he keeps speaking on various issues. In several earlier videos, Zawahiri was found speaking about the Kashmir issue and India.
The last India-centric video of Zawahiri was released in 2014 when he announced the formation of Al Qaeda for the Indian subcontinent. During the announcement, Zawahiri said that the "Base of Jihad in Indian Subcontinent" (AQIS) has not forgotten the Muslim brothers in India.
