IS cells in Kerala under scanner

IS sympathisers in Kerala are also under the scanner of intelligence agencies over the Sri Lankan serial blast, especially in the wake of reports that IS messages claiming responsibility of the Easter day terror strike were spread in Malayalam as well.

According to intelligence sources, though no direct links between the Sri Lankan terror strike and Kerala have been found, IS sympathisers in Kerala are also under scanner.

Kerala has good number of IS sympathisers and many youths, including women from various parts of Kerala, especially the northern districts, have joined IS.

Many closed social media groups that share radical messages were also quite active in Kerala for quite some time.

A top Kerala Police officer told DH that spreading IS messages in Malayalam and Tamil could be aimed at a wide reach as Malayalam- and Tamil-speaking people are spread across the world.

Some intelligence officials in Kerala came across the message in Malayalam, which seemed to be a translated version. Steps to curb the spread of the message were also being taken, the officer said.

Sources said there may be social media groups in which those directly associated with the Lankan blasts and IS sympathisers from Kerala are members.

However, sharing membership in a group does not necessarily mean direct involvement with the blasts. “We are verifying whether anyone from Kerala were aware of the terror plot before it happened,” police sources said.