The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested a 19-year-old man for his alleged links with the Islamic State (IS) and conducted searches on his premises in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
“The accused, Faizan Ansari aka Faiz, a student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Uttar Pradesh, has been taken into custody...,” said the agency in a statement, adding that electronic devices and documents were seized during the searches at his permanent residence in Lohardaga (Jharkhand) and rented room in Aligarh.
Faiz had conspired with his associates and other unknown individuals to support IS activities in India and disseminate the proscribed outfit’s propaganda over various social media platforms. “The conspiracy was aimed at carrying out violent terror attacks in India on behalf of the IS,” said the agency, alleging that Faiz and his associates had pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State.
The accused was involved in the process of radicalising “neo-converts” and recruiting them for the outfit in India. He was in contact with foreign-based IS handlers who were issuing instructions to him for making recruitments. “Along with other members of the IS, he was planning violent actions and was contemplating doing ‘hijrat’ to an IS conflict theatre abroad,” said the NIA.
The agency had registered the case under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on July 19.
PFI case
In another development, the NIA has arrested one more prime accused, taking the total arrests to 15 in a case linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). He has been identified as Yaqub Khan aka Sultan, a resident of East Champaran district in Bihar.
“...Yaqub Khan was an expert arms trainer of the PFI and had conducted many training sessions in furtherance of the outfit’s aggressive and violent agenda...he had arranged arms and ammunition to attack a youth from a particular community in order to wreak revenge and to whip up communal hatred. He had also uploaded controversial videos on social media to promote enmity among the communities,” said the agency in another statement.
The accused was on the run after the houses of PFI functionaries were raided in February. After the outfit was banned, he was in touch with an FIR named accused, Reyaz Moarif, and his associates named Mohammed Belal and Afroz. He was also in contact with his Dubai-based associate Mohammed Sajjad Alam via WhatsApp.
The agency said the accused had first taken refuge at his aunt’s place in Bihar’s Bettiah, after which he went to Pokhra in Nepal with another accused, Mohemmed Irshad Alam, who was later arrested on March 18. The accused then went to Mumbai and stayed there with another aunt in Dharawi and then, with a friend. On his return from Mumbai in April, he remained with his friends, associates and relatives in East Champaran, Sitamarhi and Muzaffarpur districts of Bihar.
