Three terror suspects from TN, who allegedly wanted to revive ISIS network, arrested

The Delhi police have busted an ISIS inspired module in the capital, consisting of three terror suspects from the state of Tamil Nadu. Two of the the men apprehended were on conditional bail in the infamous murder case of Hindu Munnani leader KP Suresh Kumar. According to the Delhi police, the trio were allegedly planning to carry out a terror attack in the Delhi-NCR area.

According to a press release by the Delhi police, the three men - Khaja Moideen (52) from Cuddalore district, Syed Ali Nivas (32) from Kanyakumari district and Abdul Samad (28) from Cuddalore district had pledged allegiance to ISIS. The three operatives were learned to have been shifted to Delhi by their foreign based handler to setup a base to commit terror activity. Based on inputs from sources, the Delhi police mounted vigil and set up surveillance systems to study the movements of the three men.

"On 09.01.2020, specific information was received that absconding terrorists Khaja Moideen, Syed Nawas and Abdul Samad have shifted to Delhi from Nepal and had taken a room on rent and had also procured arms-ammunition. As per source information, immediately a trap was laid near Wazirabad Bridge, Delhi. The team acted swiftly and apprehended three terrorists from the spot after a brief exchange of fire in the early morning hours," the Delhi police said.

Delhi police says that preliminary interrogations had revealed that Khaja Moideen had links with the ISIS.

"After being released on conditional bail in the communally sensitive murder case of KP Suresh Kumar, he made detailed plans to revive the ISIS network in India through his co-associates. Several rounds of closed door meeting were organized by Khaja Moideen in different hideouts to indoctrinate and also to pledge allegiance to ISIS. They were guided by a foreign based handler," states the press release.

Six men -Khaja Moideen, Syed Ali Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Abdul Shameem, Thowfiq and Jaffar Ali are involved in the plot, allege Delhi police. Abdul Shameen, who is a suspect in the murder of a police official in Kanyakumari district on Wednesday night, was accused along with Modideen and Nawaz in the murder of the Hindu Munnai leader. After skipping bail, they split up to carry out their plans.

"Initially, they divided themselves into two groups of three persons each. Khaja Moideen along with Syed Ali Nawaz and Abdul Samad went to Kathmandu, Nepal after illegally crossing the border with fake documents. After setting up a base in Nepal to be used as a hideout they came to Delhi after crossing over from the porous Indo-Nepal border. In Delhi, hideout and weapons were arranged by their foreign based handler through one of his contacts in Delhi," says the police.

According to the Delhi police, in 2004, Khaja Moideen was arrested in Cuddalore for allegedly organizing a training camp at Nellikuppam where conversion to Islam was organized and men were trained in handling weapons and martial arts. In 2014, he was accessed in the murder of K P Suresh He is also allegedly associated with one Haja Fakkruddin, a native of Cuddalore, the first man from TN who is believed to have joined the IS after leaving his lucrative job in Singapore.

Syed Ali and Abdul Samad meanwhile, were allegedly influenced by Khaja's speeches and indoctrinated. Syed who rode an auto rickshaw for a living was a neighbour of Abdul Shameem and was introduced to Khaja through him. Abdul Samid, a post graduate in Computer Application, allegedly got in touch with Khaja after hearing his speeches and joining the PFI.