NIA files chargesheet against 11 people in Tamil Nadu’s ‘Ansarullah’ terror case

An NIA spokesperson said the accused had conspired and conducted religious classes to establish Islamic rule in India through jihad.

NIA building in New Delhi | PTI file photo

New Delhi: The NIA filed a chargesheet Wednesday against 11 accused in connection with its probe in the “Ansarullah” terror module case of Tamil Nadu, the federal probe agency said.

The prosecution complaint was filed before a special court in Chennai and the agency had pressed charges under the IPC (for criminal conspiracy) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against the accused, an NIA spokesperson said.

The case pertained to an instance where the accused and their associates, while being in the UAE, “conspired and conducted religious classes with the objective of establishing Islamic rule in India through a violent jihad and by promoting unlawful activities”, he added.

Those named in the chargesheet are — Hassan Ali, Harish Mohammed, Mohammed Ibrahim, Mohammed Sheik Maitheen, Meeran Ghani, Gulam Nabi Asath, Ahmed Azarudeen, Toufiq Ahmed, Mohamed Ibrahim, Mohammed Afzar and Farook.

Hassan Ali and Harish Mohammed were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Tamil Nadu in July last year, while the rest were apprehended here after being deported from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A probe in the UAE and within the country “established that the accused had formed a pro-jihadi group or jamaat under the leadership of Mohammed Ibrahim in the UAE and organised meetings and classes at various places in the UAE and India on topics such as jihad and khilafat, besides against democracy in India,” the NIA spokesperson said.

The accused had an “intention of establishing Islamic rule in India through violent jihad and by promoting unlawful activities”, he added.

Hassan Ali, Harish Mohammed, Mohammed Ibrahim, Meeran Ghani and Ahmed Azarudeen “were associated with the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS”, the agency alleged.

The NIA had also carried out raids in Tamil Nadu last year in connection with the “Ansarullah” terror module case.

As the “criminal conspiracy” was hatched and a considerable part of these acts was committed in the UAE, the probe was continuing against the other accused — Rafi Ahmed, Munthasir, Umar Barook, Moideen Seeni Shahul Hameed and Faizul Sharief (all deported from the UAE), besides Seyyed Mohammed Buhari and Divan Mujipeer, who were residing in Tamil Nadu — the agency said.