NEW DELHI: A suspected terror module with alleged links to foreign handlers and extremist organisations, including ISIS, has been uncovered, with investigators claiming the network was involved in radicalising young people in India.The development comes after Andhra Pradesh Police sent teams to multiple states, Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana and Rajasthan, to arrest around a dozen suspects, including three from Andhra Pradesh, in connection with the case.According to an intelligence department source quoted by news agency PTI, the group had links to foreign-based operatives and was actively spreading jihadi propaganda online.“A jihadi module with links to foreign handlers and extremist organisations like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has been unearthed, which was engaged in radicalising youth in India,” an intelligence department official said.
Prime accused and associates allegedly used online propaganda to target youth
Investigators have identified prime accused Rahamathullah Sharif as a key figure in the network. Police said Sharif and his associates were allegedly in touch with operatives involved in circulating jihadi content and motivating young people through online videos.The accused were allegedly sharing extremist material and staying in contact with foreign handlers through social media.The group is accused of circulating videos featuring Osama Bin Laden, Israr Ahmed Shaik, Zakir Naik and Anwar al-Awlaki in an attempt to influence Muslim youth towards jihad and extremist ideology.Police also suspect the network was trying to expand by drawing in women through a separate ‘Khawateen’ wing.
Links traced to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Bangladesh
According to investigators, the group had established contact with handlers based in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Bangladesh through more than 40 social media accounts.Agencies believe the network was working towards facilitating ‘Hijrat’ and eventually establishing an Islamic State, or ‘Khilafat’, in India.Handlers identified as Al-Hakeem Shukoor, Mohammed Huzaifa, Ninja, Hemroxy, Abu Muharib and Abu Balushi allegedly guided the group on militant training and the use of weapons, including sniper rifles. They also reportedly assured the group that arms could be supplied.Investigators further suspect that some radicalised individuals linked to the module were already undergoing jihadi training in madrasas abroad, while efforts were allegedly being made to recruit more people into the network.One of the accused, Sayeeda Begum, was allegedly in contact with operatives in Pakistan as well as in Jammu and Kashmir and was planning to coordinate jihadi activities, PTI reported.
Probe also covers cyber terror, IED material and anti-India content
Investigators said the group was not limited to ideological propaganda and may also have been sharing content linked to cyber terror and bomb-making.The accused allegedly circulated material promoting cyber attacks, including plans to hack official websites. Agencies are also examining possible foreign funding channels linked to the network.Police further claimed that members uploaded material related to the preparation of black powder and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), while also claiming that firearms would be sourced from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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The group allegedly posted photographs of members wearing masks, displaying ISIS flags and raising slogans such as “One Ummah” to signal their commitment to the idea of an Islamic State in India.Investigators also alleged that the accused shared provocative videos, sang the Indian National Anthem in a derogatory manner using abusive language, and circulated content showing the desecration and burning of the national flag.
