INDIAN officials are investigating their nationals working in Bahrain and other Gulf states who joined or attempted to join Da’esh militants.
It comes after fresh details emerged of how a former Bahrain resident made at least three attempts to travel to Syria to join fights from Da’esh, also known as the Islamic State (IS) and ISIS.
Shaibu Nihar, 39, a resident of Kozhikode in Kerala, was arrested last month as he arrived in India from Qatar.
Nihar... arrested for bid to join Da’esh
Disclosures
He was wanted by Indian authorities since 2017 based on disclosures made by a man named Hamsa UK, also known as Taliban Hamsa, who was believed to be a key terrorist handler.
Nihar along with seven associates were planning to join the IS and allegedly organised meetings in Bahrain in the residences of Da’esh sympathisers.
He has been under questioning by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), during which he revealed that he and seven other Bahrain residents planned to join Da’esh and were frequent visitors to Al Ansar Centre, a religious education institute in Manama.
“After the formation of the IS, the members of the Bahrain module wanted to move to Syria,” sources were quoted in Indian daily newspaper The New Indian Express.
“Apart from Shaibu and one man, all other members of the module successfully reached Syria with their families.
“Shaibu made two attempts to reach Syria.”
The first was in December 2016 after he received a visa to Turkey, but could not liquidate an advertising firm he owned in Bahrain.
He then travelled with his family to Turkey on July 28, 2017, but was sent back to Bahrain after he was denied entry.
“Even after the investigation was launched against the module, he continued to remain in contact with IS operatives and has been supporting them,” added the sources.
The other associates named were Manayil Ashraf Moulavi, Safeer Rahman, Mansoor (from Kondotty), Mansoor (from Vadakara), Shahanad Yahya, Fajid and Muhaddis.
Muhaddis, the two Mansoors and Shahanad Yahya are believed to have been killed in Syria.
“There were attempts to attract Keralites working in Middle-East countries to IS ideology,” said an Indian officer investigating the case.
“The exact number of Keralites who joined the IS while working in Middle-East countries is yet to be ascertained.”
The NIA also found that Nihar handed over BD3,000 to Safeer Rahman, another member of the group, to reach Syria, and also provided financial assistance to other associates.
The GDN reported last month that the controversial Al Ansar Centre was shut down after news of Da’esh sympathisers frequenting it came to light.
The centre’s former general secretary Abdul Gafoor said at the time that they were against Nihar and his ideology that forced them to expel the group, who took part in the centre’s activities from 2012 until 2015.
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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