Contents
Farhatullah Ghori is an Indian terrorist and fugitive. He is said to be operating from Pakistan. He allegedly has links to terrorist organisations such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. He is considered to be one of the most wanted criminals in India.
Physical Appearance
Height: 5′ 7″
Hair Colour: Grey
Eye Colour: Brown
Wiki/Biography
Mohammed Farhatullah Ghori was born on 2 August 1963 (age 60 years; as of 2024) in Hyderabad, Telangana (previously in Andhra Pradesh). His zodiac sign is Leo. In the mid-90s, Ghori fled to Saudi Arabia (allegedly in 1994). He then went to Dubai and finally fled to Pakistan in 2015.
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Ahmedullah Ghori. His brother, Shaukatullah Ghori, is an Imam (the man who leads the prayer in a mosque).
Shaukatullah Ghori’s Confession Statement
Ghori’s brother, Shaukatullah, confessed to the activities and whereabouts of Ghori in 2009. Imam Shaukatullah Ghori, brother of Farhatullah Ghori, confessed to spreading hateful CDs after the Godhra riots to recruit young people for the Taliban. Shaukatullah admitted this under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and also confessed to collecting money for terrorist activities in Gujarat. Shaukatullah was arrested upon his arrival in Hyderabad from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in July 2009. He faced trial for his involvement in the terrorist attack on the Akshardham temple in 2002. After the Gujarat riots in 2002, Shaukatullah and his associates distributed hate CDs in Riyadh to incite violence against Hindus. They also organized meetings to recruit people for their cause and collected money for training volunteers. Shaukatullah and his brother Farhatullah were focused on sponsoring terrorism in Gujarat. They raised funds from wealthy individuals in the Gulf and channelled it into terrorist activities in India. According to Shaukatullah’s confession, Farhatullah Ghori was closely associated with extremist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Farhatullah, along with his associates, encouraged youths to join the Taliban and engage in jihad in India, especially after significant events like the Babri Masjid demolition and the Gujarat riots of 2002. He indoctrinated and recruited individuals for extremist causes. During meetings held in Riyadh, Farhatullah and his associates urged Gujarati Muslims to retaliate against Hindus, collected funds for training volunteers, and organized hate CD distributions to incite violence. He travelled to Gujarat to recruit local youths for their cause. His associates, including Shaukatullah, handled the funds collected for jihad activities.
Religion/Religious Views
Farhatullah Ghori follows Islamism. He is allegedly a part of several extremist Islam terrorist groups. Ghori has made several attempts to convince people, especially youth, to engage in jihad. He has also given guidelines and rules for “aspiring jihadists”.
Terrorism Linked To Farhatullah Ghori
Farhatullah Ghori is a key suspect investigated by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and is on the run in connection with ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)-related cases across India. He used various aliases like Abu Sultan and Abu Suleman while working for ISIS, and organised terror activities in cities across India. Ghori is suspected of being the leader of Hizb-Ut-Tahrir (HUT), a global Islamic fundamentalist terrorist group. According to reports, he aims to expand operations in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Kerala. Ghori recruited and radicalised Muslim youth by connecting them to terrorist networks like al-Qaeda and ISIS. He raised funds through contacts with wealthy people and by illicit means to build a “self-radicalised network” (people consuming extremist media, turning to their side, and acting on such ideology). Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) supported reports of Ghori being connected to ISIS. He is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, revealing a connection between ISI, ISIS, and HUT. Abdul Zahed (terrorist), who had connections to Ghori and others, was arrested in connection with a terror plot in Hyderabad. Zahed and his accomplices fled to Pakistan, which further showed direct links between ISI, ISIS, and HUT. Ghori is also said to be in contact with the top leaders in Pakistani-based terrorist organizations such as Lashkar E Toiba (LeT) and Harkat ul Jihadi al Islami (HUJI).
Terrorist Acts Committed by Ghori
He is linked to major attacks, including the 2002 Akshardham Temple attack in Gujarat and a 2005 suicide attack on a Special Task Force camp in Hyderabad.
Despite being searched for by Indian authorities with an Interpol Red Corner Notice, Ghori was never caught. Interpol’s charges against Ghori are,
Attempt to murder, illegally acquiring/possessing fire arms, Conspiring, Abetting, Collecting men/arms & ammunitions and preparing to wage war against India.”
First, there was speculation that he resided in Saudi Arabia, and then it was believed that he may have relocated to Pakistan. According to intelligence, there are strong signs of collaboration between HuT and the ISIS module in India. There are suspicions that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) supported these terrorists and presented them as ISIS members. The investigation involved audio intercepts where Ghori answered questions. In one instance, he criticized Indian police and intelligence agencies, stating that they are not as effective as claimed. Ghori advised staying peaceful on social media and using it only for information gathering. Ghori also warned against arms smugglers, describing them as double agents who provide information to the police. He appealed not to involve individuals with a history of being in jail in terror operations, as they are always on the radar of intelligence agencies. In 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) named Ghori to be an “Individual Terrorist” under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
2022 Videos Spreading Terrorism
Farhatullah Ghori resurfaced in 2022 and released videos on YouTube, Facebook, and Telegram to incite terrorist activities within India. He was believed to be in Pakistan and was allegedly “forgotten” by Indian intelligence agencies until his recent reappearance. Through the videos, Ghori called to revive the Ghazwa-e-Hind campaign. The videos were put out when Pakistan was being monitored for its actions against terrorist groups. Since March 2022, he released about 10 videos, with the latest surfacing at the end of June 2022. In his video series titled Ghazwa Series, Ghori urged the Islamic community in India to prepare for jihad, touching on contemporary issues affecting the community in India. These issues include the 2008 Ahmedabad blast case convictions, the blasphemy case involving Nupur Sharma, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and the National Registry for Citizens (NRC). The call for Ghazwa-e-Hind, which refers to a “prophesied final battle” against India, has been made before by groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). However, Ghori’s call is different as he did it without organizational backing. He reappeared after 17 years, since his last known message in March 2005, raises questions and concerns. This caused him to come under the “intelligence scanner” of the Counter Intelligence of Telangana and the Intelligence Bureau,
2023 Arrests Of Terrorists “Handled” By Ghori
In 2023, the Delhi police arrested three terrorists. One of the terrorists was Shahnawaz Alam (ISIS terrorist). Ghori is said to have been in contact with Alam, linked to the Maharashtra ISIS terror module case (alleged conspiracy of war against the Indian government). Ghori allegedly helped Alam, who had a reward on his head, to pledge allegiance to ISIS. The police revealed that the handler of these three terrorists was Ghori. The other two arrested suspects, Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf and Mohammad Arshad Warsi, also confessed that Ghori played a role in their initiation into ISIS.
Facts/Trivia
- Farhatullah Ghori also goes by the alias Ustad, Faru, Sardar Sahab, Abu Sufiyan, Abu Sultan, and Abu Suleman.
- Farhatullah is said to be very secretive and has never made any public speeches or appearances. There is no clear picture of him.
- According to the Interpol Red Notice, Ghori’s physical appearance is described as someone who has a beard and a moustache, looks like a Kashmiri, uses thick lenses, has a “namj ki nishan” on his forehead, and has a potbelly stomach.
- The Interpol Red Notice states that Ghori is a habitual smoker.
- Ghori is said to speak Arabic, English, and Urdu.