NIA averts Sri Lanka type terror attack in Kerala, arrests one ISIS suspect

The NIA arrested accused Riyas Aboobacker in the ISIS Kasargod case on Tuesday. The module was reportedly conspiring to commit a terrorist act. During interrogation, he disclosed that he had been in contact online with Abdul Rashid Abdulla for a long time and had been following his audio clips including one which had instigated others to carry out terror attack in India.

He also revealed that he chatted online with Abdul Khayoom, an accused in the Valapattanam ISIS case who was believed to be in Syria. He further disclosed that he had been following speeches of the Sri Lanka Easter blasts mastermind Zahran Hashim and followed the speeches of Zakir Naik.

He admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala.

NIA had earlier received inputs that a group of four persons has been in contact with some of the accused viz. Abdul Rashid, Ashfaq Majeed, Abdul Khayoom, etc who had already migrated to Afghanistan and Syria. After verification, NIA carried out searches at three place, stwo in Kasaragod and one in Palakkad District yesterday. Three group members have been interrogated for their ISIS links and their plans.

This case was registered in July 2016 following the disappearance of 15 youths from Kasargod and their subsequent migration to ISIS of 14 persons to Afghanistan and one person to Syria.