The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested two youngsters on suspicion of having links with international terrorist outfit ISIS, and conspiring to carry out terrorist acts in India.
The arrested persons were Mohammed Abdullah Basith (24), resident of Hafeezbaba Nagar, and Mohammed Abdul Qhadeer (19) from Chandrayangutta.
The agency said that the two youngsters were arrested to ascertain their role in spreading the ideology of ISIS and carrying out terrorist acts in India. NIA said that initial questioning had brought the role of the arrested accused under scanner, and claimed they had pledged their allegiance to ISIS.
The arrests were made after carrying out searches at seven different places in the city. NIA claimed to have found a lot of incriminating material, which has been sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis and data extraction, according to the agency.
According to NIA, they had an input that Abdullah was connected to Adnan Hassan, another youngster arrested by the agency in 2016.
In 2016, the agency arrested three persons; while two of them pleaded guilty and have been serving imprisonment, a trial is continuing against Adnan.
NIA in their press release said that they had a fresh input on Abdullah from reliable sources that Adnan and Abdullah and some of his associates were in regular touch and conspiring to further ISIS activities.
However, parents of Qhadeer claimed innocence.
Qhadeer’s father Mohammed Abdul Quddus, earlier had told Times of India that he did not know activities of his son and expressed confidence that his son had no allegiance with any terror outfit.
Abdullah Basith was on the radar of Counter Intelligence sleuths of Telangana police and SIT of Hyderabad police. It is reported that Abdullah had been caught twice by the intelligence authorities while attempting to flee to Syria.
Meanwhile, a ground report by New Indian Express, said that Abdullah’s parents led a peaceful life and that they didn’t much know about Abdullah or his activities. Similarly, Qhadeer was a total stranger to the neighbours in Chandrayangutta, as he was staying at his relatives’ place and pursuing education.