KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing activities of the Islamic State (IS) in South India has confirmed the involvement of a Keralite named Abu Ayisha in instigating members of the local IS module to carry out terror activities in various parts of the country.
The agency has initiated steps to ascertain whether it is IS activist and Kozhikode-native Shajeer Mangalassery operating in the name of ‘Abu Ayisha.’ Once the identity of Abu Ayisha is confirmed, he will be arraigned as accused in the case. On Monday, NIA sleuths had conducted raid at the residence of Shajeer, who is a graduate from the NIT.
According the NIA, Shajeer who moved to Afghanistan via the UAE has been communicating with the IS operatives in India. The agency had busted the South Indian module of the terror organisation in October this year and arrested six persons, while the group was holding a meeting at Kanakamala in Kannur.
“The IS members used to receive messages from Abu Ayisha through Telegram. The initial inquiry revealed that Abu Ayisha instigated members of the module to wage war against the nation and the Government of India. We suspect that ‘Abu Ayisha’ is Shajeer himself, who has also been actively propagating the IS ideology through Facebook, under the profile name Sameer Ali,” said NIA officials. It was found that Abu Ayisha was the link between the local IS module and the 22 persons who moved to Afghanistan from Kerala to join the IS.