Intelligence Bureau call intercept reveals ‘dead’ ISIS man is alive

A recent phone intercept has thrown officials of the Intelligence Bureau and National Investigation Agency into a tizzy as the person talking is said to be Shafi Armar who has been monitoring the growth of Islamic State in India. The intercept has been shared with the IB and the NIA by a foreign agency as Indian agencies are on high alert to check ISIS growth in the country.

There is considerable concern among Indian security agencies over the intercept as it was perceived that Shafi Armar had been killed in a drone attack in Syria sometime back. Sources said both the NIA and intelligence agencies have launched a major investigation to ascertain whether Shafi Armar was still alive or not.

“We have sought assistance from some foreign agencies also as this development is extremely important for India’s internal security scenario. If Shafi Armar, who also happens to be Bhatkal area, is still alive then he would be pursuing his recruitment drive aggressively and we need to counter this,’’a senior intelligence official said,

Though ISIS normally uses the Internet to radicalise Indian youth and attract them towards terror, it is suspected that Shafi Armar had been in touch over phone with some cadres of Indian Mujahideen and Simi in Uttar Pradesh which is believed to have a wide network of sleeper cells. The fact that Shafi Armar was in touch, through the internet and phone, was confirmed by ISIS operatives Alim and Rizwan who were arrested earlier this year from Khushinagar and Lucknow. During custodial interrogation the duo confirmed that they had been talking regularly with Shafi Armar. They also revealed that Shafi Armar wanted to carryout a terror attack in Haridwar for which he was planning to send some “experts in explosives from abroad.’’ The plan, however, was nipped in the bud with the timely arrest of some IS operatives by Indian security agencies.

Following the intercept, the IB and NIA has also alerted the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad directing it to keep an eye on suspicious people in the state. The phone intercept comes close on the heels of a video released by ISIS in which some of the Indian recruits are shown threatening to launch terror attacks in the country. The video shows Bada Sajid, a key member of IM who had managed to escape following the Batla House encounter in 2008. The NIA is examining the video also to ascertain whether it has been shot recently or not.

Recent intelligence inputs have also suggested that ISIS could join hands with terror groups operating with India, particularly the Lashkar-e-Tayeeba, for subversive attacks. ''There is a clear directive from the Government that any intelligence input regarding ISIS needs to be taken extremely seriously. Multiple agencies are working in close co-ordination to deal with the ISIS threat,’’ the official added.