NIA chargesheets 7 accused, society in TN ISIS radicalisation case

The NIA has filed a supplementary chargesheet against seven accused and the Kovai Arabic Educational Association in the 2023 Tamil Nadu ISIS radicalisation case. The accused, students of Kovai Arabic College, face charges under the IPC and UA(P) Act.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a supplementary chargesheet against seven accused, as well as a registered society," Kovai Arabic Educational Association (KAEA)," in the 2023 Tamil Nadu ISIS radicalisation and recruitment case, according to an official release by NIA.

Charges Linked to Coimbatore Blast

The society and the accused have been charged under various sections of the IPC and UA(P) Act through a supplementary chargesheet filed by NIA. According to the release, the counter-terror agency had earlier chargesheeted four accused, including Jameel Basha, the principal of Madras Arabic College, in the case RC-01/2023/NIA/CHE, which arose from the investigation into the October 2022 Coimbatore car-bomb blast. Fourteen of the 18 accused in the Coimbatore blast were students of Kovai Arabic College, which functioned under the KAEA society.

Details of Accused

The seven accused chargesheeted today were Jameel's students, identified as Mohammed Hussain, Irshath, Ahmed Ali, Aboo Hanifa, Jawahar Sadiq, Sheikh Dawood and Raja Mohammed. Of these, Mohammed Hussain and Irshath were among the four charged in the original chargesheet and now face additional sections in this supplementary filing. The society KAEA has been arraigned and charged as a legal person.

Radicalisation Through 'Free' Arabic Classes

The instant case, registered suo-motu by the agency's Chennai branch in August 2023, related to the radicalisation and incitement of vulnerable youth into terrorist acts by an ISIS-inspired radical group under the guise of free Arabic language classes, the release said.

NIA investigations revealed that radical sermons were disseminated via online Arabic language classes conducted through platforms like Zoom, WhatsApp and Telegram, and also through regular classroom sessions where Jameel Basha's live or pre-recorded lectures were broadcast.

NIA is continuing with its investigation into the case, as part of its commitment to dismantling the terror radicalisation network. (ANI)

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