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25-year-old Tamil Nadu man held for being a member of ‘terror gang’
The NIA statement said swords and pamphlets of the gang, Shahadat Is Our Goal, have been seized from the possession of the accused
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a 25-year-old man from Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district on Thursday for being an alleged member of a “terrorist gang”, the agency said in a statement on Friday. Mohammed Rashid was produced before a special court in Chennai on Thursday and sent in judicial custody.
Rashid was named in a 2018 case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district. Nine other men have been arrested in the case.
An NIA official said the agency took over and re-registered the case in May 2019 and that Rashid has been identified as an “active member” of the alleged gang.
The NIA statement said swords and pamphlets of the gang, Shahadat Is Our Goal, have been seized from the possession of the accused. “Scrutiny of forensically retrieved data from the seized digital devices and their e-mail and social media accounts has revealed that the accused persons including Mohammed Rashid had conducted multiple conspiracy meetings under the leadership of Dawood and Rifas [two other accused] with the intention of waging violent jihad in Tamil Nadu as part of their efforts to establish Islamic rule...” the agency said in the statement. It added the accused also attempted to procure illegal firearms and that investigations were going on into the case.
