NIA arrests two in ISIS Kerala Module Case, both women residents of Kannur district

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested two accused in the ISIS Kerala module case for allegedly conducting terrorist activities. As per the official press release, the accused have been identified as Mizha Siddeeque and Shifa Harris, both residents of Kerala's Kannur district.

The development comes after NIA arrested the alleged leader of the ISIS module, Mohammed Ameen, along with his associates Mus'Hab Anwar from Kannur, Kerala, and Dr Rahees Rashid from Kollam, Kerala for instigating the Indian youth to join Jihad.

The accused have been running various ISIS propaganda channels on social media platforms, informed the NIA. 

"Mohammed Ameen @Abu Yahya and his associates have been running various ISIS propaganda channels on different social media platforms such as Telegram, Hoop, and Instagram for propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of ISIS and radicalizing and recruiting new members for the ISIS module," added NIA. 

Terrorist roles played by Mizha Siddeeque and Shifa Harris

On a massive revelation, NIA said that accused Mizha Siddeeque travelled to Tehran along with associates to join ISIS in Syria and was operating terrorist activities on social media on instructions of Mohammed Ameen. She was also the one who had incited Mus'Hab Anwar and Shifa Harris - who are her cousins - to join ISIS. 

Meanwhile, Shifa Harris who goes by the name Ayesha was instructed to transfer funds to terrorists hiding in Kashmir. 

"Shifa was willing to perform Hijra to ISIS controlled territory for joining ISIS," revealed NIA. 

NIA conducts massive operations to nab terrorist operators

In a massive anti-terror crackdown, five alleged ISIS operatives were nabbed on August 4 from across the country by the NIA. The operation was launched in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country, including Mangalore of Karnataka, and as part of it, nabbed the alleged ISIS operatives on charges of running propaganda in cyberspace. At that time, the agency had also seized a few items from the possession of the operatives, which were sent for examination. 

In the ongoing ISIS case, the NIA had also carried out searches at three locations in Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA team accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Police raided the residences of  Muzamil Ahmad Bhat and Mohammad Waqar Lone - both residents of Chittibanday village of north Kashmir's Bandipora district. Bhat works at a hardware shop while Lone is under judicial custody. During interrogation, the arrested accused was revealed to have been influenced by social media posts to join the terrorist outfit. Some incriminating material was also recovered from their possession.