NIA Chargesheets Indian-Origin Singapore National, 3 Others for Alleged ISIS Links

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge sheet on March 13 against four people, including Indian-origin Singapore citizen Haja Fakkurudeen, for allegedly hatching a criminal conspiracy, organizing clandestine training camps and mobilizing funds on behalf of the ISIS terror group in Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

The others who are named in the charge sheet are Khaja Moideen, 50, of Cuddalore; Shakul Hameed, 27, of Chennai; and Ansar Meeran, 29, from Kanniyakumari. They have been accused by the NIA for allegedly promoting activities of ISIS, organizing camps, recruiting and training some people, besides helping them to travel to Syria so they could join the ISIS, along with hatching a criminal conspiracy and raising and receiving funds, PTI reported.

“The case was registered at NIA in New Delhi on Jan. 26, 2017, pursuant to the order of the MHA, directing the NIA to suo-motu investigate into the information that eight accused persons from Tamil Nadu and one from Telangana with the intention of furthering the activities of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)/Daish, had hatched a criminal conspiracy and formed a terrorist gang, that had raised and received funds, organized camps, recruited and trained some persons besides facilitated their travel to Syria to join the ISIS,” NIA said in a statement.

The NIA investigation revealed that Fakkurudeen, the prime accused, had organized and attended many conspiracy meetings in India with his associates to raise money and to recruit people to terror organization in 2013-14. He then, along with his family, joined ISIS in Syria in the last week of January 2014. He was seen featured in a propaganda video released by the organization on social media websites in December 2016.

According to the agency, Fakkurudeen visited Chennai thrice in a span of three months in 2013. He held conspiracy meetings at Chennai, Keelakarai in Ramanathapuram district, Parangipettai in Cuddalore district and at RT Nagar in Bengaluru, with Moideen, Hameed, Meeran and Mohammed Thabraze, intending to recruit the other accused people to ISIS.

“Investigation has also revealed that accused Moideen, Hameed and Meeran had knowingly assisted Fakkurudeen in joining the ISIS, in Syria during January 2014. In pursuance of the criminal conspiracy, Hameed had later radicalized and recruited Abu Thahir to the ISIS and traveled along with Thahir to Turkey during August, 2015 with the intention of joining ISIS in Syria,” the statement added.