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NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted searches at four locations in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh and one location in Pune, Maharashtra in cases relating to attempts by persons affiliated with the terrorist outfit Islamic State and its fronts to radicalise and instigate impressionable youths to carry out terror acts against a particular community.
The locations searched comprise houses of Talha Khan in Pune and Akram Soni in Seoni. Both are suspects in the ISKP case. Also searched were the residential and commercial premises of Shoeb Khan and Abdul Aziz Khan, suspects in Shivamogga IS case relating to the November 19 Mangaluru blast. Aziz was in contact with the arrested accused in Shivamogga-IS case, Maaz Muneer Ahmed of Karnataka, who had procured the explosive materials for the trial blast. Maaz was arrested by NIA in November 2022.
The ISKP case was initially registered by Delhi Police Special cell after the arrest of Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami Wani and Hina Bashir Beigh from Okhla, Jamia in Delhi. The couple was found to be affiliated with ISKP. During investigations , the role of another accused, Abdullah Basith emerged, who was already lodged in Tihar Jail in another case being investigated by the NIA.
NIA on Saturday carried out searches at three other locations in Seoni in Shivmogga IS Conspiracy case, in which accused Mohamed Shariq, Maaz Muneer Khan, Yasin and others, as part of a conspiracy hatched from abroad and based on instructions of their foreign handlers, targeted public and private properties, such as warehouses, liquor shops, hardware shops, vehicles and other properties belonging to members of a particular community and committed over 25 incidents of arson and sabotage. They even carried out a mock IED blast. They were being funded through crypto-currencies by their online handler, NIA said on Sunday.
As part of the larger conspiracy, accused Mohamed Shariq planned to carry out IED blast at Kadri temple, Mangalore on 19.11.2022. However, the IED had exploded prematurely through an accident, when the perpetrator was headed for the target location.
Abdul Aziz Khan alias Aziz Salafi, 40, is a Maulana at the Seoni Jamia Masjid while Shoeb, 26, sells automobile spare parts. Salafi, along with his accomplice Shoeb, were found actively propagating pernicious ideas, such as, ‘voting in elections is sinful for Muslims’ etc. The group led by Maulana Salafi was in the process of radicalising gullible Muslim youth of MP, Maharashtra and many southern States through provocative and inflammatory speeches on You Tube. They were also trying to bring together such radicalised individuals in Seoni district. From the material seized during the searches, it has come to light that, this group was actively collecting information about ongoing activities and events different jihadi theatres, including Afghanistan.
Initial examination of the suspects have brought out the fact that they are radically motivated individuals “who totally abhor the idea of democracy in India, and were preparing for carrying out Jihad against the people who believe otherwise”. They were using social media platforms for dissemination of such propaganda. In furtherance of these efforts, Aziz Salafi was in contact with the arrested accused Maaz Muneer Ahmed of Karnataka, who had procured the explosive materials for the trial blast. Maaz was arrested by NIA in November 2022.
Further investigations into the connections of these accused in the spread of IS ideology in India by NIA are being continued to unearth the whole conspiracy, said an NIA spokesperson.
The locations searched comprise houses of Talha Khan in Pune and Akram Soni in Seoni. Both are suspects in the ISKP case. Also searched were the residential and commercial premises of Shoeb Khan and Abdul Aziz Khan, suspects in Shivamogga IS case relating to the November 19 Mangaluru blast. Aziz was in contact with the arrested accused in Shivamogga-IS case, Maaz Muneer Ahmed of Karnataka, who had procured the explosive materials for the trial blast. Maaz was arrested by NIA in November 2022.
The ISKP case was initially registered by Delhi Police Special cell after the arrest of Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami Wani and Hina Bashir Beigh from Okhla, Jamia in Delhi. The couple was found to be affiliated with ISKP. During investigations , the role of another accused, Abdullah Basith emerged, who was already lodged in Tihar Jail in another case being investigated by the NIA.
NIA on Saturday carried out searches at three other locations in Seoni in Shivmogga IS Conspiracy case, in which accused Mohamed Shariq, Maaz Muneer Khan, Yasin and others, as part of a conspiracy hatched from abroad and based on instructions of their foreign handlers, targeted public and private properties, such as warehouses, liquor shops, hardware shops, vehicles and other properties belonging to members of a particular community and committed over 25 incidents of arson and sabotage. They even carried out a mock IED blast. They were being funded through crypto-currencies by their online handler, NIA said on Sunday.
As part of the larger conspiracy, accused Mohamed Shariq planned to carry out IED blast at Kadri temple, Mangalore on 19.11.2022. However, the IED had exploded prematurely through an accident, when the perpetrator was headed for the target location.
Abdul Aziz Khan alias Aziz Salafi, 40, is a Maulana at the Seoni Jamia Masjid while Shoeb, 26, sells automobile spare parts. Salafi, along with his accomplice Shoeb, were found actively propagating pernicious ideas, such as, ‘voting in elections is sinful for Muslims’ etc. The group led by Maulana Salafi was in the process of radicalising gullible Muslim youth of MP, Maharashtra and many southern States through provocative and inflammatory speeches on You Tube. They were also trying to bring together such radicalised individuals in Seoni district. From the material seized during the searches, it has come to light that, this group was actively collecting information about ongoing activities and events different jihadi theatres, including Afghanistan.
Initial examination of the suspects have brought out the fact that they are radically motivated individuals “who totally abhor the idea of democracy in India, and were preparing for carrying out Jihad against the people who believe otherwise”. They were using social media platforms for dissemination of such propaganda. In furtherance of these efforts, Aziz Salafi was in contact with the arrested accused Maaz Muneer Ahmed of Karnataka, who had procured the explosive materials for the trial blast. Maaz was arrested by NIA in November 2022.
Further investigations into the connections of these accused in the spread of IS ideology in India by NIA are being continued to unearth the whole conspiracy, said an NIA spokesperson.
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