Two suspects held by the NIA linked to Hyderabad Islamic State operative

A Hyderabad-angle has emerged in the NIA arrest of two Pune residents Nabeel S Khatri and Sadiya Anwar Sheikh on Monday. The duo were in regular touch with Hyderabad- based ISIS operative Mohd Abdullah Basith, who was arrested by the agency in August, 2018. Basith and Mohd Abdul Qadeer were arrested for their links to ISIS and are currently lodged at Tihar Jail.

The NIA has now found that Nabeel and Sadiya were providing logistic support to the ISIS to carry out terrorist attacks in the country. According to the NIA, searches were carried out at Pune on Sunday and Nabeel (27), a gym owner and Sadiya (22), a Mass Communication and Journalism student were arrested. In March, a Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh were arrested. Inquiries revealed that were affiliated to the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (ISKP), which is a banned terrorist organisation and also a part of ISIS.

Further, the couple was also involved in anti-national activities. This Kashmiri couple was also found to be in touch with Abdullah Basith. Investigations further revealed that Sadiya was constantly in touch with Abdullah Basith and other terror suspects Jahanzaib Sami, Hina Bashir Beigh on various secure messaging platforms. They deliberated on how to propagate the ideology of ISIS and further its activities in India. They were planning to recruit gullible youth.

Source: New Indian Express