NIA charge-sheets eight alleged Islamic State operatives in Kochi

New Delhi: The NIA on Wednesday filed two charge sheets against eight people allegedly owing allegiance to the banned ISIS terror outfit for conspiring to "wage a war" against the country, and targeting foreigners and important personalities in India.

The two separate charge sheets were filed in the designated NIA court in Kochi, a spokesman for the anti-terror probe agency said.

The first charge sheet named seven people-- Manseed Mehmood, Swalih Mohammed, Rashid Ali, Ramshad N K, Safvan P, Jasim N K, and Shajeer Mangalassery under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including the one related to waging war against the country, besides sections of anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The seven accused, who hail from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, were alleged to have entered into a criminal conspiracy to wage war against the country by collecting explosives and other material to target prominent persons and places of public importance in various parts of southern India.

The accused were arrested by the NIA from Kannur district of Kerala while they were conducting a secret meeting of the ISIS module named 'Ansarul Khilafa Kerala' formed in August last year under the leadership of absconding accused Shajeer Mangalassery, who was claimed to have fled to Afghanistan in June 2016 to join the ISIS.

The NIA claimed its probe has established that the accused formed an ISIS module that conspired and prepared to target prominent persons including Judges of High Court, political leaders and senior police officers, besides foreigners in India.

Members of the module, within and outside India, used online social media platforms Facebook, and predominantly Telegram, on which various secret groups were formed for plotting terrorist attacks.

The accused persons were alleged to have had tried to radicalize and recruit their friends or associates and also collected funds for the terrorist organization.

In another charge sheet, Subahani Haja, who had fought alongside the ISIS in Syria, was named. He was arrested on October five last year by the NIA.

He had left India between April and September 2015 to join the terror group. The NIA claimed Haja had joined ISIS in Iraq where he underwent training and waged war against the troubled Asiatic nation.

He returned to India and attempted to procure explosives and precursor chemicals, used in chemical warfare, for waging war against the Government of India, the spokesman said.