ISIS Kerala module case: NIA files charge sheet against 4 persons

Thrissur: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a charge sheet against four members of an ISIS module based in Kerala's Thrissur for their alleged involvement in raising funds to promote the agenda of the global terror network.

The accused were identified as Mathilakath Kodayil Ashif alias "Ashif M K", Seyid Nabeel Ahammed alias "Nabeel", Shiyas T S alias "Shiyas", and Saheer E P alias "Saheer Turkey".They have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

The official said Ashif and Nabeel were members of the erstwhile National Development Front (NDF) as well as the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) and had committed murders for the PFI, besides participating in its violent agitations.

According to the officials, the duo got into violent extremist and jihadi ideologies through the PFI, followed by activities of the India Fraternity Forum while in Qatar. During the same period, the two had joined ISIS through other Indian nationals who had migrated earlier and joined the terror group in their controlled territories.

The investigation established that in order to raise funds for their eventual migration to ISIS-controlled territories, the accused persons had conspired and established an ISIS module in India with the aim of radicalising and recruiting impressionable youth, the NIA spokesperson said.

The official added that the module also sought to raise funds for promoting the ISIS agenda through crimes, including robberies, based on a distorted interpretation of the 'ganimah' (war spoils), as envisaged in religious texts.

Ashif and Nabeel recruited Shiyas to the ISIS module and took the oath of allegiance to the ISIS chief.

The module was involved in identifying and attempting to recruit impressionable youth to their ISIS module by propagating pro-ISIS literature, videos and other propaganda material, both in person and online, the official said.

The NIA arrested Ashif, Nabeel and Shiyas on various dates after registering the case on July 11 under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Subsequently, based on its investigation, the NIA made its fourth arrest in the case on January 9. Saheer, a resident of Palakkad in Kerala, was arrested by the NIA, which found that he had knowingly and willingly harboured Nabeel and the prime accused Amir of this ISIS module, since July 22 last year.

He had supported Nabeel despite it being widely publicised through newspapers and media that the latter was involved in terrorist activities, the spokesperson said, adding Saheer had willfully arranged a hideout in Palakkad for the key accused and also facilitated finance and logistics for him.

(With PTI inputs)