KOCHI: The seven people who were recently arrested for working as Islamic State’s (IS) south India module were planning to carry out ‘lone wolf’ attacks on targets, revealed the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Its officials said the members were having their first meeting at Kanakamala in Kannur after the group was formed a year ago.
“When the attacks are carried out by a group, it is easy for security agencies to track and foil its plans. However, when it comes to single-man operations, agencies cannot keep focusing on one person. The IS attack in Nice in France, in which a truck was used to ram into the crowd, was carried out by a lone wolf,” said an NIA official.
The IS group decided to have a face-to-face meeting in Kannur after security agencies managed to secure some of their plans, and they found it tough to procure explosives. Five members of the group were arrested on October 2. “Subahani, who had fought for the IS in Iraq, had the task of arranging explosives. Even though he had contacted several explosives agents, none of his attempts bore fruit. The meeting was organised to make changes in the operations of the module,” the official said.
After tracing the funds received by Subahani, the NIA suspects that more IS modules are functioning in south India. He was directed by handlers stationed abroad and was told that the money for purchasing explosives would be kept under an idol at a park in Chennai. “As directed, Subahani visited Butterfly Park in Chennai where he found `20,000 under an idol. We are trying to trace the people who kept the cash there,” said the NIA official.
Origin of ‘Lone Wolf’
The term ‘lone wolf’ was popularised by white supremacists Alex Curtis and Tom Metzger in the 90s. Metzger advocated individual or small-cell underground activity, as opposed to above-ground membership organisations, envisaging “warriors acting alone or in small groups who attacked the government or other targets in daily, anonymous acts”.