KARWAR: Family members of Bhatkal-born Mohammad Shafi Armar, who has been declared as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United State of America for having ties with the Islamic State (IS), have said that if he is guilty, the law would take its course. Shafi has not been in contact with his family for over a decade.
The US State Treasury Department has stated that Armar is playing a key role in IS operations targeting India.
Armar’s brother Sultan Abdul Kadir Armar and Yasin Bhatkal are some of the founding members of the Indian Mujahideen (IM). After internal disputes and following the arrest of Yasin, Sultan moved to Kobane in Syria with his younger brother Mohammad Shafi.
Sultan is feared to have been killed in a battle in 2015 and Shafi emerged as a key figure on the jihadi landscape.
Both brothers grew up in Bhatkal with neo-fundamentalist religious leanings. After completion of secondary school education, Shafi was sent to Nadwat-ul-Ullema seminary in Lucknow like his brother Sultan. According to the NIA, both fled to Karachi in 2008 following the arrests of IM members.
Later they got involved in ISIS activities. Shafi was also known as ‘Anjaan Bhai’ or ‘unknown brother’ as mentioned in US Treasury Department’s statement.
After all these developments, his family had left hopes on Shafi. About three years ago, his father died and his mother is now aged. His younger brother is working in a private company in Bhatkal.
Here in Bhatkal, his family members are not interested to discuss about him and also about the US declaring him a global terrorist.
Shafi’s younger brother Safwan Armar told Express, “Shafi went to Dubai in 2006 and was in contact with us over telephone for two years. Later he never contacted any of the family members. We do not have any kind of contact with him since a decade.”