NIA identifies six Coimbatore youths as part of an IS module

NEW DELHI: Expanding its probe into the Islamic State module in south India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified six youths from Coimbatore who are allegedly part of an ISIS module propagating Sri Lankan bomber Zahran Hashim’s preaching on social media.
As ET reported first on May 28, an NIA team visited Colombo for joining dots of growing influence of IS in South India and Sri Lanka.

Hashim, a Sri Lankan cleric, is believed to have radicalised several Indian youths in different parts of south India.

The group leader of the six youths, Mohd Azarudeen, 32, was a Facebook friend of Hashim and the two purportedly shared ideology of global terror outfit ISIS, according to NIA.

Azarudeen and Hashim allegedly came in contact in October last year following which the former motivated others to join the Facebook group, namely KhilafahGFX. “Later, other members of the module also started sharing radical contents attributed to Hashim, over the social media,” NIA said in a statement.

A resident of Ukkadam in Coimbatore, Azarudeen ran a tour and travel agency called KhilafahGFX, officials confirmed.

Besides Azarudeen, the agency named Akram Sindhaa, 26, Y Shiek Hidayathullah, 38, Abubacker M, 29, Sadham Hussain A, 26, and Ibrahim Shahin Shah, 28.

All six are being questioned regarding their association with the group.

“During initial questioning, Azarudeen told us that he had plans to carry out a big attack in Tamil Nadu and Kerala but first wanted to hire more youths who will be ready to take up jihad,” said an official familiar with the investigations.

After questioning Azarudeen for 14 hours, the NIA arrested him. He will be produced before the special NIA court on Thursday.

NIA also seized 300 air-gun pellets and a large number of digital devices, including 14 mobile phones, 29 SIM cards, 10 pen drives, three laptops, six memory cards, four hard disc drives, one internet dongle, and 13 CDs and DVDs, besides one dagger and one electric baton, the statement said.