4 arrested after NIA raids at 21 locations in Tamil Nadu

4 arrested after NIA raids at 21 locations in Tamil Nadu

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested four persons in raids at 21 locations in Tamil Nadu, including 11 connected with a college where youths were allegedly being radicalised in Islamic State ideology in the garb of imparting Arabic classes and being motivated to carry out terror acts.

The raids were in connection with two cases relating to IS modules inspired by the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings accused Zahran Hashim – the 2022 Coimbatore car blast case and the Tamil Nadu IS radicalisation and recruitment case. Among the items seized were six laptops, 25 mobile phones, 34 SIM cards, six SD cards, three hard disks, etc; material objects; and documents. Eleven locations associated with Madras Arabic College or Kovai Arabic College were searched in connection with the Tamil Nadu IS radicalisation case.

The case involves individuals engaged in clandestine radicalisation of gullible youth signed up for Arabic classes, through preaching of radical ideologies and promoting violent jihad at regional study centres across Tamil Nadu.

The radicalisation also took place in the online space, through social media platforms and mobile applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram. The IS operatives were using the classes and the social media to impart radical sermons to propagate Khilafat and IS ideologies inimical to India’s constitutionally established principles of secularism, democracy etc, NIA said on Sunday.

NIA teams on Saturday simultaneously swooped down on 10 other locations connected with the Coimbatore car bomb blast case. The searches covered places linked with the suspects, who were part of an encrypted mobile platform group along with other arrested accused. Investigations showed that the suspects had eulogised Zahran Hashim and along with the accused, used the platform to discuss IS activities and prospects with a view of establishing the outfit’s foothold in India. Susceptible youth were being recruited to commit terrorist acts and unlawful activities, such as the Coimbatore car bomb blast. NIA investigations have revealed that 10 accused arrested in the blast case had been associated with Kovai Arabic College in Coimbatore.

Three of the persons arrested were linked with Madras Arabic College. They included one Jameel Basha Umari, who had floated the college to promote fundamentalism, extremism and radicalisation. He had spoken vocally in support of Khilafat ideology and had also promoted the concept of martyrdom for violent Jihad. Two others, Maulvi Hussain Faizy and Irshath are former students of Jameel and Madras Arabic College, and were responsible for rechristening Madras Arabic College as Kovai Arabic College.

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