Indian ISIS sympathiser deported from Saudi, arrested by NIA

National Investigation Agency (NIA) said Amzad Khan who operated online with a number of aliases was arrested on April 5 after his deportation on April 4. He is a major suspect in the case against unknown and unidentified persons involved in ISIS-related activities in countries at peace with India.

The NIA has arrested an ISIS sympathiser, who was recently deported from Saudi Arabia, in connection with its probe into activities of the West Asia- based terror group and its affiliates in the country.

In a statement, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said Amzad Khan who operated online with a number of aliases was arrested on April 5 after his deportation on April 4. Khan who is 37-year-old is a resident of Rajasthan, had emerged as a major suspect in the case against unknown and unidentified persons involved in ISIS-related activities in countries at peace with India.

NIA had filed a charge-sheet and a supplementary charge-sheet last year in the case, but the probe is still on.

"The name of one Rajasthan resident Ayan Khan Salafi alias Muhammadi Ayan alias Al Wala Wal Bara (online identities) had surfaced as a major suspect in the case," it said. The agency claimed that he was working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, since 2014.

"On preliminary questioning, it was ascertained that the said Ayan Khan Salafi's actual name is Amzad Khan, 37 years, resident of...District Churu, Rajasthan," it said.

According to the NIA, Khan had emerged as one of the principal characters in the conspiracy hatched by the absconding accused, Yusuf-al-Hindi alias Shafi Armar who has already been charge-sheeted and other members of the newly-formed organisation 'Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind' (JKH). 

The group had allegedly pledged their allegiance to the proscribed terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS) for carrying out subversive activities in India.

"During the investigation, it was established that he was also in regular online contact with accused Nafees Khan, Shafi Armar alias Yusuf-al-Hindi, Rizwan alias Khalid alias Azad Bhai and one more accused in the case who later turned approver, during November and December 2015 and January 2016," the NIA said.

It said they were communicating with one another through online platforms like Facebook, Nimbuzz, Trillian and Telegram messaging applications. Khan had allegedly played a key role in motivating and linking members of the newly-formed JKH.

"Further, the said suspect was also in regular online contact on Nimbuzz chat application with Alamzeb Afridi during December 2015 to January 2016," it said.

Afridi was the main accused in the Bengaluru Church Street Blast Case. A native of Ahmedabad, Afridi is now lodged in Bengaluru jail, the NIA said.