{
  "id": 12519995,
  "title": "Preachers, divorce, eviction: What pushed Mumbai ‘lone wolf’ who stabbed guards",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/preachers-divorce-eviction-what-pushed-mumbai-lone-wolf-who-stabbed",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T01:58:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-lone-wolf-stabbed-guards-10909806/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nAnsari, 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.\n\nAnsari'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.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Zaib Ansari, 31, returned from US and stabbed guards on April 27",
    "Divorce, eviction, and extremism drove Ansari's actions, according to 2,500-page ATS chargesheet",
    "Ansari radicalised by extremist preachers on social media for 6-8 months"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The cumulative pressures of personal turmoil and self-radicalisation through social media extremist preachers drove Ansari to violent action, highlighting vulnerabilities in individual mental states and online influence.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}