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IS terrorist arrested in Russia for plotting attack in India over Prophet remark
India’s national security agencies are following leads provided by the Islamic State terrorist detained by Russia’s FSB spy agency on Monday after the Kazakhstan national confessed that he planned to target “one of the representatives of the ruling circles of India”.
India’s national security agencies are following leads provided by the Islamic State terrorist detained by Russia’s FSB spy agency on Monday after the Kazakhstan national confessed that he planned to target “one of the representatives of the ruling circles of India”. According to the video released by the Russian agency, the self-radicalised terrorist aimed to extract revenge on India for remarks against the Prophet made by a spokesperson of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who has since been suspended for her comments.
HT learns that Russia’s Secretary of National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, briefed his counterpart National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on the detention of the IS terrorist when the latter visited Moscow for NSA-level talks last week. Indian agencies have the full brief of the terrorist, who was recruited by an IS leader as a suicide bomber in Turkey, and are also following leads to unearth those who may have provided logistical support to the would-be bomber if he had managed to make his way from Moscow to India.
“His indoctrination was carried out remotely via Telegram messenger accounts and during personal meetings in Istanbul with an IS representative,” FSB’s public relations arm said.
A video of the man’s interrogation, which was released by the FSB, showed him saying that he had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State “amir”, or leader, in April, after which he underwent special training.
The man was given the task of travelling to Russia, acquiring the necessary documents and “flying to India to commit a terrorist act”, FSB said. People aware of the matter said the Moscow route was being used in order to enable easier visa access because of much heavier screening in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries
“I was supposed to be given things there [India] to commit a terrorist attack at the behest of the IS for insulting the Prophet Mohammed,” the video showed the man as saying.
Since former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma commented on the Prophet on live TV, Indian security agencies have been on high alert. Both Islamic State and Al Qaeda have played up the issue of the controversial remarks. The Islamic State-Khorasan Province, which is based in Afghanistan, even threatened to carry out attacks in India.
HT learns that ISKP, Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood may have been activated by anti-India forces with the plan of orchestrating violence against the country through local extremist groups. While ISKP has elements from Pakistan, Afghanistan and even radicalised young men from India (mostly from Kerala), Indian agencies are also looking at the Muslim Brotherhood’s affiliations with Popular Front of India (PFI) as the common goal is the creation of an Islamic Caliphate in India.
PFI has, in the past, organised a rally outside Egyptian embassy in New Delhi in support of Mohammed Morsi, a former president of Egypt and a Muslim Brotherhood leader, when he was sentenced to death in May 2015. PFI has also protested on the Palestine issue in 2012 and 2014 with nationwide campaigns christened “I am Gaza” in support of Muslim Brotherhood affiliate Hamas. The Muslim Brotherhood is active in Kuwait, Turkey and Qatar, which were at the forefront of protesting against Nupur Sharma’s remarks. The Brotherhood, however, is banned by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Earlier, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent also threatened to carry out suicide attacks in New Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh in response to the controversial comments.
