Who is Farhatullah Ghori, mastermind of Akshardham Temple attack now calling for war against India

Farhatullah Ghori, a dreaded terrorist who orchestrated the attack on Akshardham Temple in Gujarat in 2002, has released a video calling for war against India.

Also known as Abu Sufiyan, Ghori has been on the radar of Indian security agencies after several shreds of evidence indicated his involvement in the Akshardham Temple attack.

All you need to know about Farhatullah Ghori

Ghori, famously known by the names of Abu Sufiyan and Sardar, hails from Telangana’s Hyderabad. He has been linked to multiple terror attacks in India.
After having disappeared for years, Ghori was found active on Telegram and other encrypted chat applications in 2019. By planting videos on Telegram and other encrypted apps, Ghori had been trying to brainwash the youths to recruit them into terrorist groups.

Ghori’s involvement in online radicalisation campaigns prompted the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to designate him as a “terrorist” in 2020. Despite Indian agencies being after him, Ghori continues to work for terrorist groups from Pakistan’s Lahore under the shadow of ISI. It is worth mentioning here that the US and Interpol failed to get their hands on his photo.

In 2023, the Delhi Police busted an Islamic State (IS)-inspired module which was being operated by Ghori. He had been recruiting young men for the terrorist group.
The Indian agencies suspect that Ghori’s sudden appearance and calling for war against India could be an ISI plot to disrupt the country’s communal harmony ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
According to a report of The Times Of India, hundreds of Facebook pages and Telegram channels being operated by Ghori have already been blocked by Indian agencies.

Soon after Ghori’s video surfaced, the Telangana counter-intelligence unit intensified its crackdown against the wanted terrorist. Besides recruiting for terrorist groups, Ghori has been involved in laundering money through hawala.