Abubacker Siddique, who operated as a lone wolf, was recently arrested by Andhra Pradesh police. Authorities described him as a &ldquo;big fish&rdquo; with advanced bomb-making skills.
During questioning, Siddique revealed that he was operating alone but had been inspired by the preachings of Zakir Naik, a wanted criminal in India, currently residing in Malaysia.
Indian agencies have been monitoring Naik for several years. Despite being wanted in India, Naik remains free in Malaysia and recently travelled to Pakistan, where he received a rousing welcome.
&ldquo;Naik may not have dedicated terror modules or may not plan strikes. However, he remains an institution by himself and his speeches and radical school of thought continues to inspire many to either indulge in violence or take the terror path,&rdquo; officials noted.
Naik fled India in 2016 and is wanted for cases relating to money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches. He is unwelcome in several countries as his sermons often incite youth toward radicalisation.
India has repeatedly requested Malaysia to extradite him, but the country has refused. In 2019, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad stated that Malaysia had the right not to extradite Naik if he would not receive justice in India.
&ldquo;The Abubacker Siddique case is a grim reminder that Naik remaining in the open continues to pose a security risk for India. His influence is not just limited to India, but to other countries as well,&rdquo; officials said. The 2016 Dhaka caf&eacute; attack, which claimed 22 lives, had links to Naik, with the attackers admitting they were inspired by his speeches.
Indian agencies have assessed that &ldquo;Naik could be considered to be more dangerous than any terror group. It is his speeches, which makes him lethal. His speeches and messages that reach millions of people online is what is causing a worry for security agencies.&rdquo;
While Malaysia has refused extradition, authorities had hoped that the 2019 ban on Naik&rsquo;s public speeches would continue. However, in February, Malaysian Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated there were no ban orders preventing him from delivering public addresses.
&ldquo;While Naik had openly declared his support for Al-Qaeda, he is not officially part of any terror group. He functions on his own, but manages to get the message through,&rdquo; Indian officials noted.
Naik is considered among the most dangerous preachers globally. &ldquo;His messages are rabid and he has very good convincing skills which make him even more dangerous. Moreover unlike other rabid preachers who deliver their speeches either in Urdu or Arabic, Naik does so in English. This has ensured that he has a much wider reach and hence more people especially the youth follow him blindly,&rdquo; they said.
His ability to radicalise youth was recognised by Pakistan, where he received a red-carpet welcome and met former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, despite Indian objections.
Indian officials added, &ldquo;Unlike outfits such as the Islamic State, he does not give open calls to carry out attacks. In fact he never speaks about attacks. However his style of operation is extremely dangerous as he manages to put out his message, which eventually ends up radicalising the youth.&rdquo;
Be it the case of Abubacker Siddique or the Dhaka caf&eacute; attackers, Naik had no direct role. Yet, the attackers admitted they were inspired by his speeches. &ldquo;In such an event it is very hard to pin him down and Naik manages to get away with free speech. However it is the same speech that would have done the damage.&rdquo; [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

Zakir Naik’s Influence Poses Threat to India

Authorities warn lone attackers inspired by Naik’s speeches highlight security concerns

Zakir Naik’s Influence Poses Threat to India

Authorities warn lone attackers inspired by Naik’s speeches highlight security concerns

August 31, 2025 | 01:15 IST