The IS Kerala module wasn't just busy spreading its ideology, but wanted carry out a spectacular terror strike in south India. A module by the name of "Ansar ul-Khalifa KL" was formed in August 2016 with the intention of carrying out strikes on specific targets to further the activities of the proscribed terrorist organisation in the country.
The NIA on Friday filed a supplementary chargesheet against IS terror accused Moinudheen Para Kadavath, hailing from Kasargod in Kerala, accused of hatching a terror conspiracy and providing funds to prepare for such a strike.
"Moinuddin was part of the module that had planned terror attacks on High Court judges, senior police officers and prominent politicians belonging to Kozhikode in Kerala to create communal disharmony and wage war against India," said NIA officials.
On October 1, 2016, a case was registered suo motu at NIA police station in Kochi against eight accused hailing from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, besides other unknown persons.
On October 2, five accused persons namely Manseed Mehmood, Swalih Mohammed, Rashid Ali, Safvan P. and Jasim N. K. were arrested in this case from Kannur in Kerala while they were conducting a secret meeting of the IS module as part of preparations to wage war against the country.
Later, Ramshad N.K., another member of the terrorist gang, was arrested. A chargesheet was filed in this case on March 29 this year.
Moinudheen Para Kadavath was arrested in the case on February 15 and documents and materials seized from him in the presence of witnesses unravel the makings of this terror plot.
The NIA says that during custodial interrogation, it was established that Moinudheen had provided funds to Swalih Mohammed for activities of IS/ Daesh terrorist gang, through Western Union money transfer during September 2016.
The arrested persons have revealed that one Abu Ayisha alias Shajeer Mangalassery was the leader of this IS terror module and it was on his instructions that the group had made the preparations to target prominent places and individuals in southern India.
The module had also planned and conducted preparations for attacking foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakanal near Kodiakanal. They had also planned to attack rationalists and members of other Islamic denominations like Ahmadiya sect and Jamaat-e-Islami, says the chargesheet .
Investigations revealed that accused persons including Moinudheen conspired and propagated IS ideology "directly and also through their social media accounts in Facebook and Telegram".
The accused persons had created various Telegram groups namely The Gate, Bab Al Noor, Kudumbam, Playground and Ansar. "Incriminating communication among the accused was retrieved forensically from the digital devices seized from the accused persons, especially the tablet PC seized from Ramshad," says the chargesheet.
The NIA says the chargesheeted accused Shajeer Mangalassery had performed hijra (migration) to Afghanistan from the UAE in June 2016 to join and support the IS.
Moinudheen was radicalised by Shajeer whom he had taken along on hijra, from the UAE to Mashhad in Iran for crossing over to IS. It is during his stay in UAE that he provided funds to Swalih to carry out terror acts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Moinudheen was deported from the UAE to New Delhi and arrested by the NIA in this case in February this year.
