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Malayali man who joined ISIS sentenced to life imprisonment by NIA court

Last Updated 28 September 2020, 14:39 IST

A Malayali who joined the ISIS was sentenced to life term by the NIA special court in Kochi on Monday.

Subahani Haja Moideen, a native of Thodupuzha in Idukki district, was found guilty by the court last week for offences including joining terrorist organisation and waging war against India and Iraq government.

NIA special judge P Krishnakumar also imposed a fine of Rs 2.10 lakh on the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

While life term was awarded under section 20 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for being member of terrorist organisation, Moideen was also awarded sentence ranging from five to seven years under UAPA section 38 for membership of a terrorist organisation, section 39 for support given to a terrorist organisation, IPC 125 for waging war against any Asiatic Power in alliance with the government of India and 120 (B) for criminal conspiracy. But he need to undergo all the sentence concurrently only.

It is considered to be the first time that a person is being convicted under IPC section 125. It was also for the first time that a person who joined a terrorist organisation and carried out terrorist activities in another nation being convicted after returning to India, said NIA sources.

Moideen maintained before the court that he never supported violence and did not wage war against any country.

The prosecution case was that Subahani joined the ISIS in 2015 April and went to Iraq. He was trained in using weapons at Mosul in Iraq and waged war against Iraq. Later he left ISIS and he was allowed to return to India by 2015 September. But he continued to be an ISIS follower and was even suspected to be trying to procure explosives from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu while he was held from Tirunelveli in October 2016. He conspired with ISIS operatives through online platforms.

NIA's Kochi unit investigated the case and advocate Arjun Ambalappatta was NIA prosecutor.

Subahani, who is aged around 34, was earlier quizzed by the French anti-terrorism agency in connection with the probe into the 2015 Paris terrorist attack that claimed around 130 lives. He was suspected to have links with the Paris terror strike accused.

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(Published 28 September 2020, 14:34 IST)

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