Ali Murtaza, a Muslim youth from Meerut, has shared an SOS video from Saudi Arabia narrating his ordeal saying that while he had gone there to perform Umrah, he was being forced to join Jihad in Syria. Murtaza claims that he was locked in hotel and his passport was seized.
According to him, Saharanpur resident Haji Shahzad whom he met in Mecca, was pressuring him to join a “Jihadi” outfit in Syria. What he tought would be a spiritual journey to Mecca, turned into a horrifying ordeal and a trap to join Jihadi outfit in no time.
According to Murtaza, his trip was arranged through a local travel agency, Abdullah Tour and Travel, located in Kithor. He departed for Mecca on March 26. Initially, he remained in contact with his family, but things took a dark turn after April 2. His last call to his wife on April 4 revealed emotional distress and unease. Then, he went silent.
In a chilling video shared on Facebook, Murtaza claimed he was held hostage in Saudi Arabia by Haji Shahzad, the alleged mastermind behind the plot. Shahzad, who hails from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is now reportedly operating out of Saudi Arabia.
“Shahzad took my passport, locked me in a hotel, and pushed me to join a jihadist organization in Syria,” Murtaza lamented.
Murtaza claims he was forced to record preformed videos about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and National Register of Citizens (NRC), and other social issues intended to affect his mindset and ideology.
After his family’s concerns about his disappearance and his strange communication, they lodged a police complaint in Meerut, which resulted in the arrest of a local travel agent, and an investigation has been launched into a network behind the incident.
In his video appeal, Murtaza directly appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the External Affairs Ministry to arrange for him to come back to India. He has now returned safely to Meerut after getting back his passport, confirmed the police.
The incident has generated severe concerns regarding Indian pilgrims’ safety and the exploitation of religious tourism for radicalization recruitment.
