Even as the Hyderabad police stepped up security around the city over the weekend after an alleged ISIS module was busted, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reportedly revealed that Ibrahim Yazdani, one of the five arrested, was the commander of the module.
Ibrahim also tried to enter Syria from Turkey but his bid was foiled by Turkish authorities.
“At that time, the IS operative did not have any direct contact in Syria. But he got influenced with the then prevailing global phenomenon about the caliphate. But the Turkey authorities denied him visa. Ibrahim then continued to follow IS-related events, including the massacre in France. There is no particular reason that triggered his attraction to IS," the Times of India quotes a senior NIA officer as saying.
The TOI report also adds that Ibrahim had a little help and came in contact with Shafi Armar, who is the head of ISIS, India.
In a separate development, the NIA is also trying to find out if there is a nexus between the arrested ISIS sympathisers and some people from Karnataka as two of the accused reportedly visited Anantapur a week ago.
Quoting sources, Deccan Chronicle reported:
The two ISIS suspects would soon be brought to Anantapur to check out their movements during their two-day stay at a lodge. The ISIS suspects will be brought to Anantapur to cross check the information revealed by suspects during interrogation. Though, the duo returned to Hyderabad without indulging in any criminal activity in Anantapur, the NIA tried to extract information about the nexus with sympathizers in Karnataka who masterminded the blast in Bengaluru.