The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday received information that those arrested in connection with the Islamic State terrorist outfit were aimed at recruiting youths from Kerala. They aimed to spread IS ideology through social media and turn more young people into terrorists. Apart from Kerala, the team had planned to recruit people from Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir.
It is learned that the four arrested persons from Kashmir and Karnataka have visited Kerala several times in the last few months. The detainees were taken to the NIA headquarters in Delhi for questioning. The NIA arrested Ammar Abdul Rahman, a native of Mangalore, Obaid Hameed, a native of Kashmir, Muzammil Hasan and Shankar Venkitesh Perumal, a native of Bengaluru. It is learned that they were also planning terrorist attacks in states including Kerala.
The group was led by Abu Yahiya, a Malayalee who was arrested last March on charges of IS links. Abu Yahya, who had worked with IS groups in Syria and Iraq, later returned to India and set up operations in Delhi. It is also during this time that plans are being drawn up to recruit more youth to IS.
Mohammad Waqar Lone, a native of Kashmir, was involved in raising funds for terrorist activities. The NIA received information about the other members of the group shortly after the arrest of Abu Yahya. Ajmala’s maternal uncle, who joined ISIS in Syria in 2016, was arrested from Mangalore on Wednesday.
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