NIA busts major ISIS module in Kerala

NIA, in a joint operation with ATS of Kerala Police, arrested one accused from a hideout in Tamil Nadu.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) achieved a significant breakthrough in its fight against terrorism by busting a major ISIS module operating in Kerala, preventing potential communal terror attacks. In its press release, the NIA said that, following strict adherence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s resolve to uproot all forms of terrorism, the NIA, in a joint operation with the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Kerala Police, arrested one accused from a hideout in Tamil Nadu and conducted searches at four locations in Thrissur and Palakkad.

The arrested individual, identified as Ashif alias Mathilakath Kodayil Ashraf, was apprehended near Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday. Subsequent raids were conducted at the residences of Ashif as well as those of three other suspects named Seyid Nabeel Ahammed, Shiyas T.S. from Thrissur, and Rayees from Palakkad. During these raids, digital devices and incriminating documents were seized.

The ISIS module had been involved in raising funds to promote IS activities and planning terror attacks through dacoities and other criminal activities. They had already conducted reconnaissance missions on various prominent locations, including places of worship and leaders of specific communities in Kerala, with the intention of spreading terror and creating communal division in the state.

The NIA, acting on credible intelligence inputs and conducting thorough investigations, managed to thwart the potential terror attacks by the ISIS module. The case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Investigations into the matter are ongoing as the authorities aim to dismantle the network entirely.