Thrissur: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said that Islamic State (IS) had planned to commit terror acts in Kerala by forming a group of extremists.
Syed Nabeel Ahammed, the leader of the Thrissur module of the banned outfit, revealed the crucial information to the NIA during an interrogation.
NIA's Fugitive Tracking Team nabbed the absconding IS leader from Chennai on September 6. He was the kingpin of the group in charge of raising funds for IS by conspiring robbery.
The gang has planned to form a telegram group called Pet Lovers to recruit new members to the terror group. The central agency nabbed Nabeel before this group materialised.
NAI said that Nabeel had prepared a perfect plan for activities including the formation of the group and master plan for crimes.
NIA also revealed that the gang had also conspired to rob two major temples in central Kerala. Crucial details regarding the plan were recovered from the digital devices seized from Nabeel, the NIA said.
The gang also hatched a conspiracy to murder priests of other religious groups. Syed Nabeel is the third accused in the case registered by NIA. In July, the probe team arrested Mathilakam native Kodayil Ashraf from Sathyamangalam in Tamil Nadu over his alleged links with the terror outfit.
IS or ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is a transnational militant Islamist terrorist group. NIA, in its report, stated that IS has intensified its activities in India by positioning modules in various states and actively recruiting motivated youth who subscribe to its jihadist philosophy.