Kerala Man Who Was Trained By ISIS In Iraq Found Guilty Of Waging War Against India

A special NIA court has found a man from Kerala who had joined the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq guilty of waging war against India.

Subahani Haja Moideen, a native of Kerala was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2016 following a crackdown in Tamil Nadu.

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The ISIS module was reportedly planning to attack or eliminate certain prominent persons and target places of public importance when they were busted.

Man joined ISIS in 2015

Moideen, who hails from the Idukki district of Kerala, had allegedly joined the terror organisation in 2015 and was trained in Iraq and Syria. He took part in waging war against the Government of Iraq.

The agency also suspected that Moideen may have had detailed knowledge about the 2015 terror attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead and hundreds injured.

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A French investigation team on Wednesday reached Viyyur prison in Kerala's Thrissur to interrogate Moideen in connection with the 2015 terror attacks in Paris.

He has also revealed to the NIA that he saw the attackers of the Paris attack visit his camp in Mosul, Iraq.

Moideen who returned to India in 2015 was arrested along with five others from Kanakamala in Kannur in 2016.

According to the charge sheet filed by NIA Moideen, intentionally and knowingly became an ISIS member in April 2015.

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The special court convicted Moideen under IPC Sections 120(B) (Criminal Conspiracy), Section 125 (waging war against Asiatic power in alliance with the Government of India) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Section 20 (Punishment for being member of terrorist gang or organisation),

It also held him guilty under Section 38 (Offence relating to membership of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (Offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation).

Quantum of punishment on Monday

The Special NIA court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Monday.

The ISIS module which was busted from Kanakamala was one of the most sophisticated and well-connected groups of IS operatives caught in India.

In November 2019, one of the accused, Kozhikode native Manseed Mehmood, was awarded 14-year jail term. The second accused T Swalih was awarded 10 years in jail and third accused Rashid was given seven-year in jail.

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Last week, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had revealed that the ISIS groups have a strong presence in the state along with its neighbouring states.

A total of 122 persons, who have links with IS groups, were arrested in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and 17 cases are registered in connection with such groups. Among them, more presence of IS terrorists is observed in Kerala, the ministry stated in Rajya Sabha.

Apart from Kerala, IS presence was observed in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu Kashmir too. This has been confirmed in an investigation held by the NIA in connection with various cases in the country, they state.