Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi gets ‘fake’ ISIS threat

Rajnath Singh on Friday asserted that India is capable of dealing with threats from the ISIS

Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday received a threat letter, purportedly from the ISIS, which created a flutter as there has been a recent major crackdown on ISIS sympathisers and operatives in the country. However, an initial probe by the Central security agencies has established that the letter is fake.

Union home ministry sources said analyses of the letter by the intelligence and security agencies indicate that the letter is fake, but the agencies are keenly watching ISIS sympathisers and “mischievous elements” who are trying to create fear and trying to propagate the terror outfit. Earlier, another BJP leader, Mr Shahnawaz Hussain, had received a similar threatening letter from the ISIS. Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday asserted that India is capable of dealing with threats from the ISIS. “We have the capacity to meet any threat. We will face it,” Mr Rajnath Singh said.

Meanwhile, three more Indians were deported Friday from a Gulf country for suspected involvement in the ISIS’ online propaganda. The three have been arrested by the NIA and will be produced in court on Saturday. Official sources said the three Indians — Adnan Hussain, Mohammad Farhan and Sheikh Azhar Al Islam — were deported and detained by the NIA upon arrival at IGI Airport Thursday night. They belong to Maharashtra, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir.

The three men, along with other unknown associates, were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to identify, motivate, radicalise, recruit and train Indian citizens in India and abroad to plan and execute terrorist attacks in India and other friendly countries, the sources said. The youth are believed to be members of the Abu Dhabi module of the ISIS. The NIA, after registering a case, was questioning the suspects.

On September 15, 2015, the UAE had deported four Indians suspected of being linked to the ISIS. The UAE had also sent back last year a 37-year-old woman, Afsha Jabeen, alias Nicky Joseph, who was allegedly involving in recruiting youth for ISIS. In January 2015, Salman Mohiuddin of Hyderabad was arrested preparing to board a flight to Dubai en route to Syria via Turkey.

According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of whom six were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq and Syria. Among the 23 are two absconding members of the banned Indian Mujahideen who had gone from their hideouts in Pakistan.

The dead were identified as Athif Vaseem Mohammad (Adilabad, Telangana), Mohammad Umar Subhan (Bengaluru), Maulana Abdul Kadir Sultan Armar (Bhatkal, Karnataka), Saheem Farooque Tanki (Thane), Faiz Masood (Bengaluru), and Mohammad Sajid, alias Bada Sajid (Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh). At present, around 150 Indians are under surveillance for alleged online links with ISIS.