Who is the 31-year-old accused in the Mumbai stabbing case? Did he want to join Islamic State?

In the wee hours of April 27, a quiet construction site in Mumbai’s Naya Nagar turned into a gory scene of violence after a 31-year-old man stabbed two security guards.

While the attack is shocking as it is, it has acquired a radicalisation angle after it emerged that the accused, identified as Zaib Zubair Ansari, reportedly asked the guards to recite the Kalma, the foundational doctrines of Islam.

What do we know of the attack? Who’s the man behind the stabbings? Is it a case of a terror attack?

We probe and get you the details.

How did the stabbing unfold?

>> The incident took place around 4 am on Monday morning in Mumbai’s Naya Nagar, with officials noting that it occurred at an under-construction building site behind Wockhardt Hospital in Mira Road.

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>> Reports state that 31-year-old Ansari walked up to the two security guards posted there — Rajkumar Mishra and Subroto Sen — asking them their names. It then devolved into a verbal altercation with Ansari asking the guards their religion and even asking them to recite the Kalma, the doctrine of Islam.

>> When the two guards were unable to do so, Ansari then allegedly stabbed Mishra first, and when another guard, Subroto Sen, attempted to intervene, he too was attacked.

>> An NDTV report states that while Mishra was able to get himself to a hospital, Sen’s injuries were far more serious and required help to receive medical aid.

>> The two security guards are now receiving treatment in the hospital.

Who’s the suspect, Zaib Zubair Ansari?

>> Soon after, the Maharashtra Police reached the spot and began investigations. Using CCTV footage, investigators identified Ansari and tracked him to his rented house in the Naya Nagar area in Mira Road East. He was arrested within one-and-a-half hours of the incident.

>> Since then, he has been produced in court and sent to police custody until May 4. The cops have charged Ansari with attempt to murder, assault, and BNS Section 196(1), which deals with promoting enmity, disharmony, or hatred between different groups on grounds of religion, race, language, or caste.

>> Multiple reports citing sources state that Ansari was in the US until 2019. On his return to India, he worked as a teacher of chemistry and mathematics at a coaching centre.

>> An India Today report also states that in recent days, Ansari’s landlord had allegedly asked him to vacate the rented flat by May 5

>> After being arrested, officials from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism squad raided Ansari’s house and found handwritten notes in which he expressed his desire to join the terror group Islamic State (IS). Also, words like ISIS, lone wolf, jihad, and Gaza were found scribbled in notes written by Ansari.

>> According to news agency ANI, Ansari described the attack as his “first step” towards joining the terrorist organisation.

> Moreover, authorities are now combing through his mobile phones and electronic devices to establish if this was a one-off attack or part of a larger conspiracy.

Was the stabbing a lone wolf terror attack?

>> The nature of the attack — with Ansari asking the guards to recite the Kalma — has raised concerns among officials that it was a lone wolf terror attack.

>> Moreover, the recovery of the notes and the accused’s desire to join the terror group also lends to this theory.

>> For many, the attack evokes memories of the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, in which the terrorists first asked the victims their identity and their religion, and only then killed them.

>> Authorities are now investigating further, trying to determine Ansari’s radicalisation as well as his potential contacts.

With inputs from agencies