KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court on Friday examined a former diplomat, who had served at the Indian Embassy in Iraq, during trial in Kerala’s first case in which charges of waging a war against a friendly nation or Asian power were slapped on the accused. With the examination of the senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, the trial in the case concluded, and the court is expected to pronounce its verdict soon.
Thodupuzha native Subahani Haja Moideen, who allegedly fought for the Islamic State (IS) in Kerala, faced trial in the case, claimed to be the first case in Kerala in which Section 125 of the IPC has been invoked. According to NIA officials, the court verdict has not been pronounced in any of the cases in which the same charges were invoked in any part of the country. The NIA brought in the former diplomat at the final stage of the trial to explain the situation in Iraq when IS was at its prime in 2015.
On Friday, NIA filed a petition requesting the court to issue a direction restraining the media from publishing the identity of the IFS officer. He was the 46th witness in the case. The diplomat who served in the Indian Embassy in Baghdad between 2015 and 2017 deposed that IS had occupied around one-third of Iraq when he was posted there. According to him, IS was at a distance of 25-30km from Baghdad and made bids to capture the city.
He said when IS took control of Iraq’s major city of Mosul, 39 Indians were found missing. The Indian Embassy had arranged a camp in Erbil near Mosul to trace these missing Indians. After two years, when Mosul was recaptured from IS, it could be confirmed through DNA tests that these missing Indians were killed. He claimed that foreign fighters from over 100 countries had joined IS in Iraq. These persons reached Iraq through the porous borders of Syria and Turkey. Replying to a query by the defence counsel, he said the Iraq government had not given any report to the Indian Embassy about the number of Indian IS activists operating in that country.
With the examination of the former Indian diplomat, the trial in the case has concluded. The court posted the next hearing on Wednesday when it is expected to pronounce its verdict in the case. Subahani was arrested after Ansarul Khilafah - Kerala, which follows the radical ideology of IS, was busted by NIA in 2016. However, as Subahani was the only member of the cell who had allegedly travelled to Iraq to fight for the IS, his case was split from the case against the other module members.
46th witness
On Friday, NIA filed a petition requesting the court to issue a direction restraining the media from publishing the identity of the IFS officer. He was the 46th witness in the case.