NIA nabs key IS terror conspirator at New Delhi airport

NIA investigations revealed that Ali, a resident of Shivamogga district of Karnataka state, was actively involved in the identification, radicalisation, and recruitment of Muslim youth into the ISIS fold while working from abroad

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday nabbed an Islamic State (IS) terror conspirator from New Delhi airport after he landed here from Kenya’s Nairobi.

National Investigation Agency (File Photo)

The NIA has identified the man as Arafath Ali, a resident of Shivamogga district of Karnataka state, who has been on the run. NIA said that Ali was taken into custody the moment he landed at the New Delhi airport on Thursday.

“Arafath had been absconding since 2020 when he was accused of indulging in ISIS propaganda activities and planning for terrorist acts. He had since then been operating from abroad to promote the anti-India terror agenda of the IS,” the NIA stated.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the investigative agency called it a major breakthrough in its efforts to uncover and foil the conspiracy of foreign-based modules of IS/ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) to carry out acts of terror and violence in India.

NIA investigations revealed that Ali, a resident of Shivamogga district of Karnataka state, was actively involved in the identification, radicalisation, and recruitment of Muslim youth into the ISIS fold while working from abroad.

“As part of the Shivamogga terror conspiracy case, one accused, named Mohamed Shariq, had been on his way to plant a pressure cooker IED at Kadri Manjunatha Temple, Mangaluru, when the IED exploded accidentally in the auto-rickshaw. Arafat Ali had been in active touch with the other accused persons in the case, and was actively involved in the planning and execution of the conspiracy,” the statement further read.

Further investigations revealed that Ali was also responsible for the two Mangaluru graffiti cases of 2020, when, on his directions, two other accused, identified as Mohamed Shariq and Maaz Muneer Ahmed, had written “DON’T FORCE US TO INVITE LASHKAR-E-TAIBA AND TALIBAN TO DEAL WITH SANGHIS AND MANVEDIS #LASHKAR ZINDABAD” on the walls.

The investigations against Ali and other suspects in the case are continuing, according to the NIA.