NEW DELHI: The NIA on Friday filed a chargesheet against alleged ISIS operative Mohamed Naser for waging war, terror acts and recruiting youth to join the global terror outfit. Naser, 23, a resident of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu was arrested on December 11, 2015 after his deportation from Sudan.
According to documents available with Express, Naser was detained on October 18 and 19 by Sudanese authorities, along with 8 Sudanese and a few Moroccan, Belgian and Russian IS recruits, on charges of links with the IS and plans to join the terrorist organisation in Libya.
Naser, documents reveal, is a computer expert while his father works in a car showroom in Dubai. Naser, who was issued a passport in April, 2005 travelled to Dubai in 2014 and applied for a job in a firm run by an Indian.
He returned to India around the first week of May in 2015 and got in touch with IS handlers online. Subsequently he returned to Dubai and continued interacting with an IS handler.
Naser’s handler apparently told him to join the ISIS unit in Libya, instead of Syria and Iraq as the entry points to Syria from the Turkish side was being sealed. He was told by handler that the group would assist him initially in moving to Sudan where he could be trained and then will be deployed in Libya.
According to documents, a paper visa was put in place for Naser by a handler known as ‘Mad Mullah’ and dispatched to Dubai.
With the help of the visa, Naser arrived in Khartoum and rang a number provided to him by his handlers. He was then directed to a safe house where other new recruits were also lodged. Documents reveal that Naser stayed at the spot for four days before he was detained by Sudan authorities. NIA officials said the probe against Naser had brought to light incriminating documentary and digital evidence, including text messages, chats, graphic art, jihadi literature on terror outfit IS etc. All the evidence was recovered from the electronic device as well as social media platforms used by him.
Officials said this was the second chargesheet against ISIS operatives in India. The first was filed against Areeb Majeed, an IS recruit-turned-deserter from Kalyan in Mumbai.
Almost all 23 ISIS recruits from India took the route through Turkey to enter IS strongholds and are suspected of being deployed in Iraq and Syria. According to sources, Naser's father is standing witness against his son in this case and the NIA has already recorded his statement. Naser had dialled his father from Sudan, informing him about his decision to join the IS.
Row over remarks
The reported statement of NIA Chief Sharad Kumar that so far there is no hand of Pakistan government or its agency in helping JeM carry out the Pathankot attack has triggered a sparring between India and Pakistan with New Delhi saying that the involvement of its nationals “is an accepted fact”. Islamabad said it’s a “vindication” of its position.