New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has busted an alleged ISIS-linked terror module in a joint operation with the Anti Terror Squad (ATS) of Madhya Pradesh and arrested three men following raids across 13 locations in Jabalpur.
According to the statement released by the agency, during the overnight raids conducted on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, three persons — Syed Mamoor Ali, Mohammad Adil Khan and Mohammad Shahid — were nabbed by the agency. The three accused were allegedly planning to carry out “violent terror activities” across the country.
The agency has seized sharp-edged weapons, ammunition (including prohibited bore), incriminating documents and digital devices.
On 24 May, the agency had registered a case Mohammad Adil Khan — who was on the NIA’s radar since August last year — during investigations into his alleged pro-ISIS activities.
“The NIA has learnt that Khan and his associates were involved in disseminating ISIS propaganda through social media platforms, as well as through on-ground ‘Dawah’ (the exhortation to submit to Allah) programmes, in order to unleash violent terror attacks in India at the instance of ISIS. The module had been conducting meetings/Dars in local masjids and houses and hatching plans and conspiracies to spread terror in the country,” the agency said in the statement.
According to the agency, the probe has revealed that Ali, Khan and Shahid are “highly radicalised” and were planning to carry out attacks.
The accused were allegedly involved in collecting and disseminating funds for ISIS propaganda material, motivating and recruiting youth, and also tried to procure arms and ammunition with the objective of carrying out terror activities.
According to the NIA, Ali had created a local group on the ground in Jabalpur by the name — “‘Fisabilillah” and had also made one such group on WhatsApp. He was allegedly in touch with a Jabalpur-based arms dealer.
Khan, on the other hand, NIA said, had managed to “assemble an active group of Jabalpur-based like-minded radicalised individuals”. He allegedly ran multiple channels on YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp in an attempt to motivate and recruit more youth into the terror module’s fold.
(Edited by Anumeha Saxena)
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