Ashish Ranjan
NIA has filed chargesheet against two IS operatives: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against two alleged Islamic State operatives who have been implicated in over two dozen incidents of arson and sabotage, including the burning of the national flag in Karnataka, according to a statement released by an official on Friday.
Maaz Muneer Ahmad (23) and Syed Yasin (22) of Shivamogga have been accused in a special court under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, a federal agency spokesperson said.
The official stated that the case involves a plot to further the activities of the outlawed Islamic State terrorist organisation by committing acts of arson, sabotage, and violence in Karnataka. Investigations against six additional detained suspects are ongoing.
The case was initially registered by the Karnataka Police after Prem Singh was allegedly killed on August 15 in Shivamogga by the accused Zabiulla and others. The NIA assumed responsibility for the investigation in September of last year.
“Ahmad and Yasin, both B Tech graduates, were radicalised and motivated by a foreign-based online handler to target public and private properties, including warehouses, liquor stores, hardware stores, vehicles, and properties belonging to members of a specific community. In furtherance of a plot devised by the Islamic State, they had committed more than 25 acts of arson and sabotage, according to the spokesperson.
According to the NIA, their degree of dedication is evident from their actions.”They both travelled to the Agumbe and Varahi river backwaters forest area in the Shivamogga district for trekking and reconnaissance of potential hiding places. They obtained munitions and prepared to construct an IED. Yasin tested one of the IEDs on the bank of the Varahi River in Shivamogga. He also burned a national flag and filmed a video to demonstrate his anti-Indian credentials, according to a spokesperson.
The official stated that the two terror operatives were being paid in cryptocurrencies via international wire transfers by their online supervisor.”Investigations revealed that Ahmad received around 1.5 lakh worth of cryptocurrency from the online handler into the accounts of his friends, while Yasin received 62 K into the account of a friend,” the spokesperson said.
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As part of the larger IS plot, the NIA stated that another defendant in the case, Mohamed Shariq, intended to detonate an IED at the Kadri Temple in Mangaluru on November 19, 2016, but the device exploded prematurely due to a faulty timer, averting a “potential disaster.”
