NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested 15 Islamic State (IS) operatives in raids conducted across 44 locations in Maharashtra and Karnataka, including a village in rural Thane that was declared by the accused as a “liberated zone” or ‘Al Sham’.
The early morning raids – in which firearms, swords, knives, unaccounted cash worth over Rs 68 lakh and 51 Hamas flags were seized – were undertaken by NIA teams in close coordination with Maharashtra Police and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and covered locations in Padgha, Borivali, Thane, Mira Road and Pune in Maharashtra and in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The 15 persons apprehended are all members of the ISIS’s Maharashtra module and were operating from Padgha-Boravili. Under the directions of their foreign handlers, they were allegedly promoting terror and terror-related acts as well as activities of ISIS. They were actively involved in various terrorist activities, including fabrication of IEDs, as per NIA. Pursuing the path of violent Jihad, Khilafat, ISIS etc., the accused had aimed to disturb peace and communal harmony and wage a war against the Government of India, the Agency said.
NIA said the 15 accused were motivating Muslim youths to relocate to Padhga village in rural Thane, which they chose to declare as ‘Al Sham’, to strengthen the ‘Padgha base’ of ISIS, as per an NIA statement. This is perhaps the first case where a self-declared “liberated” IS territory in India has come to light, a source told TOI.
Bidad-Al-Sham or the ‘Land of Sham’ or ‘The Levant’ is often used to describe a land under the rule of Islam.
Mohd Saquib Nachan, 63, the main accused and self-declared head of the IS module, had self-assumed rights of administering the ‘bayath’ (oath of allegiance to the khalifa of ISIS ) to the persons joining the proscribed organisation.
Apart from Saquib Nachan, the others arrested on Saturday are Hasib Zuber Mulla @ Haseeb Zubair Mulla, Kashif Abdul Sattar Balere, Saif Ateeque Nachan, Rehan Ashfaque Suse, Shagaf Safiq Divkar, Firoz Dastagir Kuwari, Adil Iliyas Khot among others.
Arrested 15 IS men involved in fabrication of IEDs: NIA officials
The 15 men apprehended are all members of IS’ Maharashtra module and were operating from Padgha-Borivali. Under the directions of their foreign handlers, they were allegedly promoting terror and terror-related acts as well as activities of IS. They were actively involved in various terrorist activities, including fabrication of IEDs, as per NIA.
“Pursuing the path of violent Jihad, Khilafat, IS, etc., the accused had aimed to disturb peace and communal harmony and wage a war against the government of India,” the agency said.
NIA said the 15 accused were motivating Muslim youths to relocate to Padgha village in rural Thane, which they chose to declare as ‘Al Sham’, to strengthen the ‘Padgha base’ of IS, as per an NIA statement. This is perhaps the first case where a self-declared “liberated” IS territory in India has come to light, a source told TOI.
Bidad-Al-Sham or the ‘Land of Sham’ or ‘The Levant’ is often used to describe a land under the rule of Islam.
Mohd Saquib Nachan, 63, the main accused and self-declared head of the IS module, had self-assumed rights of administering the ‘bayath’ (oath of allegiance to the khalifa of IS) to those persons joining the proscribed organisation.
Apart from Saquib Nachan, the others arrested on Saturday are Hasib Zuber Mulla @ Haseeb Zubair Mulla, Kashif Abdul Sattar Balere, Saif Ateeque Nachan, Rehan Ashfaque Suse, Shagaf Safiq Divkar, Firoz Dastagir Kuwari, Adil Iliyas Khot, Musab Haseeb Mulla, Rafil Abdul Latif Nachan, Yahya Ravish Khot, Razil Abdul Latif mNachan, Farhan Ansar Suse, Mukhlis Maqbool Nachan and Munzir Abubakar Kunnathpeedikal. All the accused originally hail from Thane district.
While Adil Khot was found in possession of the flags, the weapons (guns, knives and swords) were recovered from Firoz Dastagir Kuwan, Razil Abdul Nachan, Zeeshan Ajaz Mulla and Mukhlis Maqbool Nachan. The cash was seized from Saif Ateeque Nachan, Rehan Ashfaq Suse and Atif Nasir Mulla.
NIA had taken over the case relating to the IS module on November 6, 2023. It was previously probed by the Special Cell of Delhi Police, following the arrest of three ISIS terrorists, Shahnawaz Alam, Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf and Mohammad Arshad Warsi.
NIA has, in recent months, conducted large-scale raids and busted different IS modules and networks operating across the country, by arresting several terror operatives in the IS terror conspiracy case.
The early morning raids – in which firearms, swords, knives, unaccounted cash worth over Rs 68 lakh and 51 Hamas flags were seized – were undertaken by NIA teams in close coordination with Maharashtra Police and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and covered locations in Padgha, Borivali, Thane, Mira Road and Pune in Maharashtra and in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
The 15 persons apprehended are all members of the ISIS’s Maharashtra module and were operating from Padgha-Boravili. Under the directions of their foreign handlers, they were allegedly promoting terror and terror-related acts as well as activities of ISIS. They were actively involved in various terrorist activities, including fabrication of IEDs, as per NIA. Pursuing the path of violent Jihad, Khilafat, ISIS etc., the accused had aimed to disturb peace and communal harmony and wage a war against the Government of India, the Agency said.
NIA said the 15 accused were motivating Muslim youths to relocate to Padhga village in rural Thane, which they chose to declare as ‘Al Sham’, to strengthen the ‘Padgha base’ of ISIS, as per an NIA statement. This is perhaps the first case where a self-declared “liberated” IS territory in India has come to light, a source told TOI.
Bidad-Al-Sham or the ‘Land of Sham’ or ‘The Levant’ is often used to describe a land under the rule of Islam.
Mohd Saquib Nachan, 63, the main accused and self-declared head of the IS module, had self-assumed rights of administering the ‘bayath’ (oath of allegiance to the khalifa of ISIS ) to the persons joining the proscribed organisation.
Apart from Saquib Nachan, the others arrested on Saturday are Hasib Zuber Mulla @ Haseeb Zubair Mulla, Kashif Abdul Sattar Balere, Saif Ateeque Nachan, Rehan Ashfaque Suse, Shagaf Safiq Divkar, Firoz Dastagir Kuwari, Adil Iliyas Khot among others.
Arrested 15 IS men involved in fabrication of IEDs: NIA officials
The 15 men apprehended are all members of IS’ Maharashtra module and were operating from Padgha-Borivali. Under the directions of their foreign handlers, they were allegedly promoting terror and terror-related acts as well as activities of IS. They were actively involved in various terrorist activities, including fabrication of IEDs, as per NIA.
“Pursuing the path of violent Jihad, Khilafat, IS, etc., the accused had aimed to disturb peace and communal harmony and wage a war against the government of India,” the agency said.
NIA said the 15 accused were motivating Muslim youths to relocate to Padgha village in rural Thane, which they chose to declare as ‘Al Sham’, to strengthen the ‘Padgha base’ of IS, as per an NIA statement. This is perhaps the first case where a self-declared “liberated” IS territory in India has come to light, a source told TOI.
Bidad-Al-Sham or the ‘Land of Sham’ or ‘The Levant’ is often used to describe a land under the rule of Islam.
Mohd Saquib Nachan, 63, the main accused and self-declared head of the IS module, had self-assumed rights of administering the ‘bayath’ (oath of allegiance to the khalifa of IS) to those persons joining the proscribed organisation.
Apart from Saquib Nachan, the others arrested on Saturday are Hasib Zuber Mulla @ Haseeb Zubair Mulla, Kashif Abdul Sattar Balere, Saif Ateeque Nachan, Rehan Ashfaque Suse, Shagaf Safiq Divkar, Firoz Dastagir Kuwari, Adil Iliyas Khot, Musab Haseeb Mulla, Rafil Abdul Latif Nachan, Yahya Ravish Khot, Razil Abdul Latif mNachan, Farhan Ansar Suse, Mukhlis Maqbool Nachan and Munzir Abubakar Kunnathpeedikal. All the accused originally hail from Thane district.
While Adil Khot was found in possession of the flags, the weapons (guns, knives and swords) were recovered from Firoz Dastagir Kuwan, Razil Abdul Nachan, Zeeshan Ajaz Mulla and Mukhlis Maqbool Nachan. The cash was seized from Saif Ateeque Nachan, Rehan Ashfaq Suse and Atif Nasir Mulla.
NIA had taken over the case relating to the IS module on November 6, 2023. It was previously probed by the Special Cell of Delhi Police, following the arrest of three ISIS terrorists, Shahnawaz Alam, Mohammad Rizwan Ashraf and Mohammad Arshad Warsi.
NIA has, in recent months, conducted large-scale raids and busted different IS modules and networks operating across the country, by arresting several terror operatives in the IS terror conspiracy case.