'Was Shown Propaganda Videos, Persuaded To Join ISIS': 16-yr-old Kerala Boy's Shocking Admission of Radicalisation

In a shocking case, a 16-year-old boy in Kerala has admitted on Republic TV cameras how attempts were made to radicalise him and how he was persuaded to join the terrorist outfit ISIS by his mother's partner, Ansar Aslam.

Republic has decided not to reveal the boy's identity to safeguard the privacy of the minor.

"My mother was threatened by Ansar Aslam. He ruined my life, my family...everything. Ansar showed me ISIS videos, and my mother said that Ansar is just manipulating her. My mother has gone away. I love her. I want to get my mother back. I want my mother back."

"I think my mother also loves me," the boy said, bursting into tears.

Asked why his mother would want him to join ISIS if she loved him, he replied, “Maybe she was trying to protect herself from Ansar Aslam and Siddiqui Aslam (Ansar Aslam's brother). I know my mother has left me and I love her."

The boy admitted that he thinks his mother was threatened and that it was on their direction (Ansar and Siddiqui's) that his mother wanted him to join ISIS.

Asked what he wants to convey to his mother, the boy said, "I love my mother and I am in agony. I really don't want to hurt her."

Asked if he liked his mother's relationship with Ansar Aslam, he firmly replied, "No."

The boy looked completely overtaken by trauma and went on crying inconsolably while providing the details of what he went through.

Investigation Details and Accused

Ansar Aslam is the live-in partner of the boy's mother, according to reports. The family was in the United Kingdom, and Ansar is already on the radar of the Kerala Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) as well as the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

A direct link is emerging between Ansar's family and previous ISIS cases of radicalisation, reports said.

An FIR has been registered. Kerala Police is taking the complaint on record for:

-Attempts made to radicalise the 16-year-old boy and send him to Syria.

-Direct links between Ansar and suspects in bomb blasts that have taken place in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Preliminary reports suggest Ansar was in touch with a few handlers from ISIS.

The Kerala ATS is investigating the case. The NIA has also sought for records.

Custody and Background

After registering the case, the boy was sent to stay with his uncle, who is the elder brother of the boy's biological father, Mohammad Ali. Ali is currently in the UK, but the boy is staying with his uncle's family in Kerala.

The boy said his mother was radicalised by Ansar Aslam. Ansar's brother, Siddiqui Aslam, is an accused in an NIA case registered in 2016 for plotting attacks in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He was even imprisoned three years ago.

The boy is in the safe custody of his uncle, and there is police surveillance around the house. The boy said he was shown ISIS videos on the accused's laptops. The police seized the laptops from the mother's house in Thiruvananthapuram during a raid conducted last week.

The boy said he was persuaded to join ISIS, and since he was not willing to join the organisation, he was sent back to Kerala.

Soon after reaching Kerala, he informed his biological father about these developments, who directed him to go to a police station, reports said.

Mother's Past and Statement

The boy's mother was a Christian but fell in love with Mohammad Ali, a Muslim, while in college. Three children were born from that relationship, and the 16-year-old boy is one of them.

After 17 years of marriage, she met Siddiqui Aslam, the brother of Ansar Aslam. She was radicalised in the same manner by being shown ISIS propaganda videos and was completely brainwashed by Siddiqui Aslam. The boy gave these details, stating that his mother was innocent and was radicalised by Siddiqui Aslam and Ansar Aslam.

Republic also reached out to the mother of the boy but she refused to speak. She instead shared a handwritten note which read: "I am alone here with my kids. I am not yet ready to talk to you. Let me give my statement to the police first. Let the police probe and bring out the truth. I can tell you one thing at the moment. My husband is a narcissist. He is an active member of SDPI."

She has not yet finalised her divorce from her first husband, it seems.

The boy's startling revelations have shocked people and paved the way for crackdown on people associated with ISIS and accused of radicalising the youth. The case was handed over to the NIA today only. 

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