NIA sleuths reportedly arrested five people, on suspicion of links with the Islamic State (IS), after a raid at Kanakamala near Panoor of Kannur district on Sunday evening. The police have refused to reveal any information about the detained. A top police official, without divulging details, confirmed to THE WEEK that such a raid did take place.
A few months ago, almost 21 people had gone missing from Kerala, reportedly to join the Islamic State. This had drawn attention to the terror networks covertly operating in the state, leading to a huge public outcry.
Later on, the Kerala Police arrested two people from Mumbai, Arshid Qureshi and Rizwan Khan, in connection with the alleged role they played in recruitments for the Islamic State.
Kannur and its neighbouring districts are a hotbed of political violence between the CPI(M) and RSS.
