Keralite trained by ISIS in Iraq, found guilty by spl NIA court

Kochi: An Indian national, trained by ISIS in Iraq in 2015, was found guilty by a court here on Friday for hatching a criminal conspiracy to wage war against the Governments of India and Iraq.

Subhani Haja Moideen, a Keralite, was arrested by the NIA in 2016 following a crackdown in Tamil Nadu with the help of central security agencies and other state police, foiling designs of ISIS operatives to attack or eliminate certain prominent persons and target places of public importance.

The Special NIA court will pronounce the quantum of punishment on Monday.

The Court convicted Moideen under IPC Sections 120(B) (Criminal Conspiracy), Section 125 (waging war against Asiatic power in alliance with the Government of India) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Section 20 (Punishment for being a member of terrorist gang or organisation).

It also held him guilty under Section 38 (Offence relating to membership of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (Offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation).

According to the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency, Moideen, hailing from Idukki district, intentionally and knowingly became an ISIS member in April 2015.

To further the activities of ISIS, he proceeded to Iraq during April-September 2015, joined the terrorist organization and waged war against the Government of Iraq, an Asiatic Power in alliance with the Government of India.

During custodial interrogation, he had disclosed that he had knowingly and intentionally communicated with co-conspirators in ISIS within and outside India over online social media platforms like Facebook and Telegram to wage war against the Governments of Iraq and India.

Based on his disclosures, the contents of his email and social media accounts were extracted in the presence of independent witnesses, during custody.