New Delhi: The NIA on Monday arrested two key accused in the Tamil Nadu Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) case involving attempts to radicalise youth and establish an Islamic caliphate in India. The accused, identified as Kabeer Ahmed Aliyar and Bava Bahrudeen @ Mannai Bava, had conspired with others to propagate the HuT ideologies by conducting secret Bayaans, said a statement.
They were also involved in organising an exhibition to showcase the military might of Islamic nations that would be invited (Nussrah) to overthrow the Indian government, by waging violent jihad and war.The NIA, which registered the case against six accused persons, found during investigations that the accused were influenced by the extremist, radical and fundamental ideology of the HuT.
A key accused in the case, Aziz Ahamed alias Aziz Ahmed alias Jaleel Aziz Ahmed, was nabbed in August 2024 at the Bengaluru International Airport while trying to flee the country. The HuT is an international pan-Islamist and fundamentalist organisation which is working to re-establish an Islamic caliphate and enforce the constitution written by the outfit’s founder Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani, said the NIA.
The Union government had, in October 2024, issued a Gazette Notification banning HuT and all its manifestations and front organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The NIA is continuing its investigation to unearth the role of the co-conspirators, international network, and HuT funding.
In a separate case in Tamil Nadu, the NIA arrested on January 25 two absconding accused in the 2019 Ramalingam murder case linked with the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). The arrested accused were identified as Abdul Majeeth and Shahul Hameed, both hailing from the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.
The NIA investigations revealed that the two were involved in the murder and were members of PFI. The duo had conspired with other accused near the Periyapalli mosque in Thirubhuvanam on February 5, 2019, to chop the hands of Ramalingam with the intent to create fear among the people and spread communal hatred.
