ISIS planning Maoist-type attacks in India, confirms NIA

Hyderabad: The declaration by the head of the Bangladesh unit of the ISIS, Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, in the ISIS propaganda magazine Dabiq in April 2016, that the terror outfit was contemplating guerrilla attacks in India like those of the CPI (Maoists), seems to be confirmed by the National Investigation Agency probing into the pipe bomb conspiracy.

The NIA’s Mumbai unit, following the pipe bomb conspiracy case, had arrested the alleged masterminds in January 2016. It had also filed the charge sheet against the accused.

In a chargesheet filed against city-based ISIS terror suspect Md Nafees Khan (Accused No. 2) of Tolichowki and others, the NIA has said: “In September 11, 2015, during the coordination meeting in Sharanpur in Uttar Pradesh regarding expansion of base of the ISIS in India, one of the accused Md Azhar Khan alias Ikrama (Accused 16) of Madhya Pradesh has suggested that, since their fight was against the security forces, they should adopt the guerrilla tactics as done by the Maoists.

“In the said meeting, it was discussed that they should purchase a piece of land in a remote area to operate in clandestine manner”.

Maharashtra-based ISIS suspect Mudbabir Shaik (Accused No. 3) also took part in the meeting, the chargesheet says. Around 17 persons were named as being part of the module, including four Hyderabadis.

To train themselves in guerrilla warfare the terror suspects led by Nafees Khan visited Vikarabad and Naraspur forest area in Telangana state, according to the chargesheet.