NIA files charge sheet against two suspected IS operatives

ACCORDING TO NIA, THE ACCUSED WERE IN TOUCH WITH MAULVI ZAHRAN BIN HASHIM, THE ‘MASTERMIND’ OF THE APRIL 21

SRI LANKA BOMBINGS

NEWDELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed a charge sheet against two suspected Islamic State operatives — Mohammed Azarudeen, believed to be the outfit’s Coimbatore module, and his associate Sheikh Hidayatullah.

According to the agency, they were in touch with Maulvi Zahran bin Hashim, the alleged mastermind of the April 21 Sri Lanka bombings, and were planning to carry out similar strikes in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

NIA spokesperson inspector general Alok Mittal said, “It has been established that Mohammed Azarudeen and Sheikh Hidayatullah have been propagating violent, extremist ideology of ISIS/ Daish since 2017 with the intention of recruiting their associates in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, into the proscribed organisation, for furthering its activities in India.”

“They organized several secret classes at their houses besides at other places in Coimbatore, in support of the ISIS/ Daish. They also followed the Sri Lankan ISIS/ Daish leader Zahran Hashim, over social media, while downloading and disseminating his speeches in support of violent jihad and ISIS/ Daish,” Mittal said.

Hidayatullah was reportedly in touch with Zahran Hashim, who died in the suicide bombings, through a Facebook page, said an official who didn’t wish to be named.

The charge sheet has been filed in an NIA special court in Ernakulam on charges for criminal conspiracy and terror charges.

The agency registered a case on May 30 this year, taking suo motu action against six accused from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, based on information that they were propagating the ideology of the proscribed terrorist organization ISIS/DAISH on social media with the intention of recruiting vulnerable youths in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.