New Delhi: The NIA Tuesday charge-sheeted five people associated with the Islamic State of Khorasan Province, an affiliate of global terrorist group ISIS, in a special court in Gujarat, an official said.
The charge-sheet was filed against Ubaid Nasir Mir, Hanan Hayat Shawl, Mohd Hazim Shah, Sumera Banu, and Zubair, who had plans to go to Afghanistan illegally through Iran from Gujarat’s Porbandar, they said.
They had planned to go to Afghanistan for training and carrying out terrorist acts in that country, the officials said, and added that they were arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
The ATS had found out that the five people were actively involved with the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP), which is active in the Khorasan province of Afghanistan, the officials said.
Investigations revealed that the arrested individuals were engaged in activities such as recruitment of Muslim youth to join the violent agenda of the banned terror outfit, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) spokesperson said.
“Their actions were not limited to propagating the agenda and the ideology of the ISKP on social media but they were also actively engaged in motivating, radicalising and indoctrinating vulnerable Muslim youth in India with the extremist ideology of the ISKP. They were also collecting funds for the banned terror organisation,” the official said.
The spokesperson said two other accused are absconding in the case and, according to investigations, they are in Afghanistan and Iran. The two absconders are believed to be the handlers of the arrested individuals, the NIA official said.
Given the national security ramifications and international linkages, the Ministry of Home Affairs had transferred the case to the NIA June 28.
Subsequently, July 1, the anti-terror agency had registered a case under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Indian Penal Code, based on the FIR earlier filed by the ATS in Ahmedabad.
The NIA is continuing with its investigations in the case, the spokesperson said.
PTI
