ISIS men plead guilty, sent to 7 years in jail

special court on Friday awarded a seven-year jail term to two men after they pleaded guilty of conspiring to raise funds and recruit people for the banned terror outfit of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

District and Sessions Judge Amar Nath convicted accused Sheikh Azhar-ul-Islam (24) from Jammu and Kashmir and Mohammed Farhan Shaikh (25) from Maharashtra.

The court had last month framed charges against both men and 36-year-old Adnan Hassan(who did not plead guilty).

The charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) claimed that “the accused acted as a frontal group of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for inciting, motivating, inviting and facilitating people of different nationalities to leave their countries and travel to Syria to support ISIS.”

Last month, Sheikh Azhar-ulIslam and Mohammed Farhan Shaikh had moved an application pleading guilty, in which they had stated that “they are remorseful of the acts alleged against them. They are young, unmarried and want to return to the mainstream. They want to be productive for the society and want to rehabilitate themselves.”

While pronouncing the order on Friday, the court observed that “it seems the convicts have realised their mistakes and are willing to repent for their acts and deeds. In that case, the convicts should get an opportunity to reform themselves and be a good citizen of this country .... there is necessity of showing some leniency while imposing punishment upon the convicts but at the same time, it should not be a wrong message to the society.”

The trial against Hassan, the third chargesheeted accused, is continuing separately before the same court.

The agency had registered a case against the three men on January 28 last year. They were arrested the next day on arrival from Abu Dhabi.