An alleged Indian Islamic State operative Subahani Haja Moideen revealed that he had met the accused in the Paris bombing attack that killed nearly 130 people in November last year.
Thirty-one-year-old Subahani, a native of Thodupuzha in Kerala’s Idukki district, was arrested by NIA earlier this month from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu district. During interrogation, Subahani reportedly revealed crucial information, including that he had fought for the ISIS in Iraq before returning to India.
The news agency Press Trust of India reported on Sunday that Subahani admitted to meeting Abdelhamid Abaaoud and Salah Abdeslam, only months before they carried out the bombing attack in a theatre in Paris leaving 130 people killed. The NIA has reportedly informed the French security officials about Subahani’s revelations.
While Abaaoud was killed in retaliatory fire during the Paris attack, Abdelslam, a Belgium-born French national is in the custody of French police.
However, Subahani has feigned ignorance about the plot, says the report.
Subahani left India to Istanbul in April last year, after he was radicalized through social media platforms. After reaching Istanbul, Subahani went to IS controlled Iraq, where he met Abdelhamid Abaaoud and Salah Abdeslam.
After receiving religious and arms training, he was deputed to fight war for about two weeks.
However, he reportedly decided to leave as he was unable to bear the violence and was produced before the IS judge. After being jailed by the ISIS, he was later allowed to leave to Syria.
Six months after he left India, he returned to Mumbai in September last year and lived in Tamil Nadu with his wife until he was arrested on October 6 this year.