How Pak-Backed Handler Shahzad Bhatti Built Online Terror Network
Indian authorities have arrested over 250 individuals linked to a Pakistan-based terror handler named Shahzad Bhatti. Bhatti allegedly uses social media platforms to recruit underprivileged Indian youth into criminal and terrorist activities.
Why it matters
The case highlights the growing threat of digital radicalization and the use of social media as a tool for cross-border terrorism.
Indian agencies arrested more than 250 people from 14 states over their alleged links to Pakistan's gangster-turned-terror-handler Shahzad Bhatti in a single day on August 12, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Bhatti is accused of running a terror recruitment ring through social media. NDTV Datafy has analysed the "Bhatti-verse" of social media to understand how Bhatti built his vast online network and how he lures young Indians into terrorist activities. At first glance, his social media pages do not appear to be run by a Pakistani gangster-turned-terror handler. They feature swanky videos set to popular Punjabi songs and Bollywood movie dialogues, clips from Indian news channels, and posts carrying hashtags popular in India.Instagram video screenshot shows Shahzad Bhatti in downtown Dubai.Bhatti's social media network does not appear polished or professional-grade and relies heavily on volunteers.
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