The National Investigation Agency (NIA), on Wednesday, September 6, arrested the alleged leader of the Islamic State (IS)’s Thrissur module from Chennai. Siyed Nabeel Ahammed, the alleged leader (Ameer) of Thrissur-based IS module, was apprehended by NIA’s Fugitive Tracking Team, which had been working on the ground for the past few weeks to track him.
The accused, who had been on the run and hiding out at various places in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for the past several weeks, had reportedly planned to escape abroad by using forged and fraudulent documents with Nepal as a transit point. "Incriminating documents and digital devices have been seized from the possession of Siyed Nabeel, who is the third accused to be arrested in the case since July," said the NIA.
In July, NIA had tracked and arrested one Ashif alias Mathilakath Kodayil Ashraf from his hideout near Sathyamangalam, Tamil Nadu. The NIA, which had registered the case on July 11 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Ac, found that the Thrissur-based IS module had allegedly been conspiring to commit terror acts in Kerala. NIA said it had been conducting recces besides raising funds for furthering IS activities through a series of illegal activities, including dacoities.
Islamic State (IS) is a transnational militant Islamist terrorist group that was formerly known as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, as well as by its Arabic acronym Da'ish or Daesh.