3 arrested in J&K for association with ISIS: NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday apprehended three people over their alleged association with the banned terror organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an official said.

Srinagar:The NIA on Sunday arrested three people over their alleged links with the banned terror outfit ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), an official said. According to an NIA spokesperson, the agency conducted searches at eight locations in Srinagar and Anantnag in South Kashmir and arrested - Tawheed Latief, a resident of Mughal, Karahagar in Chattabal, Suhail Ahmad resident of Solina Payeen Shergari and Afshan Parvez resident of Anzimar near Gondal Masjid, Khanyar in J&K's Srinagar.

The agency had said that they received information about the banned terror outfit having hatched a conspiracy to radicalise and recruit impressionable Muslim youths in India to wage violent jihad against the Indian State. Also, the plan was to execute their nefarious design which involves supplementing their on-ground terror financing activities with a cyberspace campaign, an official citing anonymity said. ISIS terrorists operating from various conflict zones, along with their cadres in India, have created a network by assuming pseudo-online identities wherein their propaganda material is disseminated for radicalising and recruiting the members, the spokesperson said.

Earlier this year, the agency had arrested four accused in this connection after registering a case. The investigation had further revealed that the accused who were arrested had links with Pakistan and Afghanistan-based foreign ISIS operatives. Also, other associates of the accused based in Kashmir are involved in on-ground and online activities of ISIS, which include content creation and translation of India-centric propaganda magazine - 'Voice of Hind'.

Searches held on Sunday led to the recovery and seizure of incriminating documents and digital devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, hard disks etc, the spokesman said.