ISIS links: NIA court in Kerala sentences Palakkad native to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment

Kochi: A special NIA court here on Friday sentenced a Palakkad native to ten years of rigorous imprisonment under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for being a member of terror outfit ISIS and providing support to its activities.

NIA Special court judge Mini S Das sentenced the accused Riyas Aboobacker and also imposed a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh on him, court sources said.

The court had on February 7, convicted Aboobacker under Sections 38 (membership of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (support given to a terrorist organisation) of the UAPA and section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Aboobacker was in direct contact with members of ISIS and shared their ideology.

The agency had also claimed that he had organised conspiracy meetings at Kochi where he had decided to carry out suicide attacks for furthering the terror outfit's activities in India.

The NIA had further claimed that Aboobacker had instigated others to carry out terror attacks in India.

It had also told the court that Aboobacker, who was arrested in April 2019, followed the speeches and videos of Zahran Hashim, a supporter of ISIS in Sri Lanka and that the Palakkad native was also influenced by speeches of Zakir Naik, founder of banned organisation Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

The IRF has been banned as an unlawful association under the UAPA by the Indian government.

Hashim is the leader of the National Thowheed Jamaath, the group which claimed responsibility for the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka in April 2019 that killed 250 people.