NIA arrests foreign terrorist fighter who received training from IS
06 October, Kochi
National Investigating Agency (NIA) officials have arrested one more person, said to be foreign terrorist fighter, for joining and lending support to the activities of the IS, a global terrorist organisation, from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu yesterday.
The arrested, identified as Subahanni Haja Moideen (31), a native of Kerala and residing in Tamil Nadu, NIA sources said.
During his interrogation at the NIA branch office here, he revealed that he had gone to Iraq on April 8, 2015 to join ISIS and fight for the organization. He had left home telling his parents and wife that he was going to perform Umrah.
As per the preliminary examination, he was radicalized and recruited to IS by recruiters active over online social media platforms. He left India for Istanbul from Chennai on a visit visa. After reaching Istanbul, he crossed over along with others including people from Pakistan and Afghanistan to IS held territory in Iraq, the sources said.
He was then taken to Mosul in Iraq, where he underwent detailed course in Shariya followed by combat training. On completion of combat training including training in the automated weapons, he was sent to the war zone in Mosul for security duties in ISIS held territory, which he had performed for almost two-weeks. He was being paid USD 100 per month as subsistence allowance by the IS along with common available accommodation and food without any additional charges, the sources added.
He also told the officials that he decided to leave the organisation as he could not withstand the violence and war misery as two of his friends were charred alive before him in a shell attack.
However,on conveying his decision to quit the organization, he was imprisoned by IS at Mosul and was subjected to extreme torture. He along with other similar deserting foreign fighters, was produced before a judge of the IS, following which he was again incarcerated at Raqqa in Syria. Later, for reasons yet to be ascertained, he was allowed to leave IS controlled territory and return to Turkey along with five other foreign nationals, he further stated to the officials.
Thereafter, he stayed illegally in Istanbul for about two weeks, before he approached the Indian Consulate, for returning to India. He contacted his family and conveyed his decision to return to India, following which they sent him money for flight tickets. After Turkish Police issued a clearance certificate, he was issued an Emergency Certificate by Indian Consulate, on which he returned to India through Mumbai on September 22, 2015.
On his return to India, Haja went to his ancestral place in Kadaynallur, Tirunelveli, where he was staying till now with his wife. He got a job as a salesman in a gold jewelry shop at Kadayanallur.
However, once back and settled, he again got in touch with IS handlers over internet and was planning to collect explosives and precursor chemicals from Sivakasi at their instance.
He had traveled to Chennai, Coimbatore and other places to meet other local contacts in the conspiracy, collect money and procure explosives, precursor chemicals, for terrorist acts, as guided and motivated by the IS handlers.
Subahani was being produced before the Special NIA Court at Ernakulam, today for seeking his Police Custody for his further interrogation, the sources added.