NIA quizzes IS recruiter who radicalised several Indians

New Delhi : A two-member team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) visited Manila last week to question a notorious woman recruiter of the Islamic State (IS) terror group who radicalised several Indians in the last three years through social media.

During her questioning, which took place from April 24 to 27, 32-year-old Karen Aisha Hamidon provided important clues about Indians who are involved with ISIS and those spreading the terror group’s agenda online, said sources.

TOI had first reported on October 21 + last year that Karen, whose name is mentioned in NIA chargesheet as an “online motivator”, was arrested by the Phillipines’ National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on the basis of information provided by NIA.

Hamidon, widow of Philippines-based terrorist leader Mohammad Jafaar Maquid, gained international notoriety in 2016 when Indian agencies found that she used Facebook, Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups to recruit ‘foreign fighters’ from India and other countries like he US, the UK, India, the UAE, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh.

Since then, she is wanted by intelligence agencies of over a dozen countries.

Three Indian ISIS operatives — Mohammad Sirajuddin, an Indian Oil Corporation manager; Mohammad Naseer, a 23-year-old computer engineer from Tamil Nadu; and Adnan Hasan, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka — had claimed that they were influenced by Karen.

According to NIA, she managed large online groups — “IslamQ&A” and “Ummah Affairs” — where IS members shared Caliphate’s ideology and jihadi material and expressed a desire to travel to the territory.

“She has given names of several other Indians who were in touch with her and other recruiters/motivators of ISIS active in the virtual world,” said a source.

Sources added that NBI has also shared documents and articles recovered from her residence and hideouts in Manila.

“The investigators of Phillipines have even shared their investigation details, which will help us connect the dots on other ISIS suspects based in India,” said an official.

“The questioning of Sirajuddin, Naseer and Hasan and data retrieved from the digital devices seized from them at the time of their arrest had revealed that Karen, a resident of MB-13 Unit-105 BCDA, Pamayanang Diego Shilang Village Barangay Ususan, C-5 Road Taguig City, 1639 Metro Manila, Philippines, used mobile numbers +639300183542 and +639165017304 and she was one of the most active ISIS operative based in Philippines between 2014 and December 2015. She was running different Facebook pages, WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels for motivating, radicalizing and instigating her online associates from different countries including India to fight on behalf of ISIS in conflict zones. She was also in telephonic contacts with many other Indian nationals,” said NIA spokesperson Alok Mittal.

“The questioning of Karen has resulted in confirmation of several facts revealed during the investigation and also provided significant leads about her associates in India, who were active online, to propagate the ideology of the ISIS and also about a few Indians residing abroad who have helped her financially. The leads obtained are being investigated,” said Mittal.

After her arrest last year, Karen had claimed before the department of justice in Manila that she was being “framed”.

She claimed that she was just a “blogger” and a “Muslim missionary” against whom false accusations had been levelled by police.

“I’m into journalistic articles, composition, and a writer … I’m an Islamic propagator, I’m a Muslim missionary, the counterpart of a Christian missionary. I only use the social media as my avenue to spread the message of Islam for religious purposes, for maximum audiences,” she had said then. “They (police) have already sensationalised my story because I have reached the pinnacle of international notoriety with the usage of the social media,” she added.

Source : TOI

Tags : isis

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