Two arrested for distributing ISIS T-shirts in Tamil Nadu

Two youths of Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu were arrested on Tuesday on charges of distributing T-shirts with the emblem of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and posing for a photograph while sporting them in front of a mosque.

 Police sources here said that apart from one Abdul Rahman, Mohammed Rinwan, who allegedly arranged for the T-shirts to be brought from Tirupur district, was taken into custody.

The photo showed 26 youths, including Rahman and Rinwan, clad in black T-shirts with the ISIS emblem. It was taken in front of a mosque at Thondi in Ramanathapuram district. The photo, which was posted on a social media website, appeared during Ramzan. 

The police said that both the accused, who were remanded in judicial custody, have been charged with abetting insurgent activity and criminal conspiracy for ordering and distributing the T-shirts.

According to the case, Rahman, who was working in Bangkok and had visited his native Thondi for Ramzan, ordered 100 such T-shirts from a firm in Tirupur through his friend Rinwan. A senior official investigating the case said.

“A special team has been deputed to the knitting company at Khaderpet in Tirupur that manufactured the T-shirts since we suspect that the clothes could have been supplied to other areas also.”

Police also said 24 youths were let off as they were found to have no connection with any outfit. They “received the T-shirts in good faith”. Some of them had paid Rs 200 for the T-shirt, the police said.