Preachers, divorce, eviction: What pushed Mumbai ‘lone wolf’ who stabbed guards

On April 27, Zaib Ansari, a 31-year-old man who had returned from the US, stabbed two security guards near his Mira Road residence. The nearly 2,500-page chargesheet filed by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) revealed that Ansari's extreme actions stemmed from a combination of factors, including his recent divorce, being asked to leave his rented home by his landlord, obsessive food habits, and self-radicalisation by watching extremist preachers on social media.

Ansari, who had been self-radicalised by extremist preachers, was further driven to despair by reports of killings of children in Palestine. He had moved from the US in 2019 and made money coaching students in tennis, but had no regular source of income in India. After his divorce, he lived alone, and his landlord asked him to leave due to his status as a bachelor. His mental state was disturbed, as investigators found, and watching extremist preachers on social media radicalised him over six to eight months.

Ansari's lawyer informed the court that he had schizophrenia and was previously on medication. He also revealed that Ansari only ate vegetarian food prepared by himself, never eating food cooked by others. The ATS has invoked the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against Ansari, who is currently in jail, and ruled out any involvement from an outsider.