Police nab ISIS suspects in Kerala

Kannur: The Kerala Police has arrested a total of five men suspecting them to be linked to ISIS.

The Police arrested three suspects yesterday and two today.

Three among the five had been stopped from proceeding to Syria four months back. UK Hamsa(52) or Taliban Hamsa, believed to be the key terrorist handler, is among the five men. Hamsa was also the chief trainer at the ISIS unit, say Kerala police sources.

Police had kept an eye on them and had been tracking the activities of the suspects ever since they were sent back by authorities in Turkey four months ago.

The three arrested yesterday were identified as Mithilaj KC, 26, Abdul Razak KV, 24, and Rasheed MV, 27. They have been booked under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and face a maximum jail term of 10 years if convicted.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been probing cases of disappearance of several Indians who are suspected to have joined the ISIS.

The five suspects are from the towns of Chakkarakkal and Valapattanam.

In July 2016, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly that 21 Muslim youths from the state had gone missing over a month, and it was suspected that they had joined the extremist group.