Mangaluru man arrested for filming selfie video supporting Hamas

The Mangaluru North police launched a suo moto case and warned people not to share such videos.

The Karnataka police on Saturday arrested a man in Mangaluru for allegedly making a video, asking people to support Hamas and pray for their victory against war-hit Israel. The video was widely shared on social media and the investigation is going on.

Mangaluru man arrested for filming selfie video supporting Hamas

According to reports, the accused identified as Zakir, 58, made a selfie video and heaped praises on Hamas, a militant group which carried out coordinated attacks on Israel on October 7. He urged the people of his group to support Hamas towards its victory and extended his best wishes.

The Mangaluru North police launched a suo moto case and warned people not to share such videos. Mangaluru police commissioner Anupam Aggarwal said, “As there are chances of communal harmony being disrupted due to the video that has been widely circulating on social media, we arrested the accused. During our investigation, we found that Zakir has been accused in various cases between 1989 and 2006. There are cases of kidnapping, criminal assault and criminal intimidation against him.”

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) lodged a complaint on the accused and called him a ‘threat to peaceful society.’ Dakshina Kannada VHP’s member Pradeep Kumar said, “Supporting a terror group like Hamas is nothing short of being a terrorist. A sedition case must be filed, and action must be taken against those who are behind him.”

The Karnataka government earlier said that they are closely monitoring the situation of Kannadigas stuck in the conflict zones of Israel. Karnataka Chief minister Siddaramaiah said that he is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs for the safety of Kannadigas who are stuck in war hit Israel. He also put out the helpline numbers for those who are in Israel amid attacks.