Terror module with alleged links to ISIS unearthed in Andhra Pradesh

According to police, prime accused Rahamathullah Sharif and his associates were in contact with operatives engaged in spreading propaganda.

Amaravati: A terror module with suspected links to foreign handlers and extremist organisations, including ISIS, allegedly involved in radicalising youth in India has been unearthed, an intelligence department source said on Sunday.

Earlier, the Andhra Pradesh police deployed teams across Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana and Rajasthan to arrest a dozen suspects including three from the southern state linked to the network.

According to police, prime accused Rahamathullah Sharif and his associates were in contact with operatives engaged in spreading jihadi propaganda and motivating youth through online videos.

Investigators suspect that women were encouraged to join a separate 'Khawateen' wing as part of the group's expansion strategy.

"A jihadi module with links to foreign handlers and extremist organisations like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has been unearthed, which was engaged in radicalising youth in India," an intelligence department official said.

The group was actively sharing extremist content and maintaining links with foreign handlers.

The accused allegedly circulated videos of Osama Bin Laden, Israr Ahmed Shaik, Zakir Naik and Anwar al-Awlaki to influence Muslim youth towards jihad and extremist ideologies.

Police found that the group had established contact with handlers based in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Bangladesh through over 40 social media accounts, with intentions to facilitate 'Hijrat' and establish an Islamic State (Khilafat) in India.

Handlers identified as Al-Hakeem Shukoor, Mohammed Huzaifa, Ninja, Hemroxy, Abu Muharib and Abu Balushi, allegedly guided the group on militant training, use of weapons including sniper rifles, and assured supply of arms, said the official.

Some radicalised individuals were already undergoing jihadi training in madrasas (religious Islamic school) abroad, while efforts are underway to recruit more into the network.

One of the accused, Sayeeda Begum, was in contact with operatives in Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir and was allegedly planning to coordinate jihadi activities.

The group allegedly shared content promoting cyber terror activities, including plans to hack official websites, while agencies are probing suspected foreign funding routes, he said.

Members allegedly posted photographs wearing masks, displaying ISIS flags and raising slogans such as "One Ummah" to signify their commitment to establishing an Islamic State in India.

Investigators also claimed that the accused circulated provocative videos, sang the Indian National Anthem in a derogatory manner using abusive language, and shared content showing the desecration and burning of the national flag.

The group also allegedly shared content advocating violence against non-believers (kafirs) and calling for the establishment of an Islamic State in India, police said.

They (accused) also uploaded material related to the preparation of black powder and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), while claiming that firearms would be procured from Pakistan and Afghanistan.