The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted simultaneous searches at eight locations in Kannur, Malappuram, Kollam and Kasaragod districts on Monday in connection with an alleged case of terrorist activity.
A group led by one Mohammed Ameen, alias Abu Yahya, has been running various Islamic State (IS) propaganda channels on various social media platforms such as Telegram, Hoop and Instagram for propagating the ideology of the banned organisation and radicalising and recruiting new members to the IS module, according to a communication from the NIA.
The agency has registered a case against seven persons under Section 17, 18, 18B, 20, 38 and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Sections 120B, 121 and 121A of the Indian Penal Code.
From early morning
In Kannur, raids took place at four houses belonging to members of a family. The search operations began at 4 a.m.
The NIA communication said the group of radicalised individuals under the leadership of Mohammed Ameen, who owed allegiance to proscribed terrorist organisation IS, had identified certain individuals in Kerala and Karnataka for targeted killing. They had also planned to undertake Hijrat (religious migration) to Jammu and Kashmir for engaging in terrorist acts. Searches were conducted on the premises of Mohammed Ameen and his associates, the press release said.
Mohammed Ameen had travelled to Jammu and Kashmir immediately after his return to India from Bahrain in March, 2020. He had been camping in Delhi for the past two months for establishing connection with Jammu and Kashmir-based operatives having allegiance to IS, the agency said.
Laptops, mobile phones, hard disk drives and pen drives and incriminating documents were seized from them, the communication said.
