Kerala: NIA court sentences ISIS operative Riyas Aboobacker to 10 years in jail

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Feb 9, 2024, 11:24 AM IST

The NIA court in Kochi sentenced convict Riyas Aboobacker to 10 years in jail for planning to carry out suicide attacks in Kerala. He was the sole accused in the case and was arrested by the NIA on May 15, 2018.

Kochi: The NIA court in Kochi sentenced convict and ISIS operative Riyas Aboobacker to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment on Friday (Feb 09). He was found guilty of planning to carry out suicide attacks in Kerala on Wednesday (Feb 07). He was also directed to pay a fine of Rs 1,25,000. The 33-year-old man, a native of Palakkad's Kollengode, was found guilty under sections 38 and 39 of the UAPA and 120B of the IPC. He was the sole accused in the case and was arrested by the NIA on May 15, 2018.

The arguments of both sides in the case were completed on Thursday (Feb 08). The NIA argued in the court that maximum punishment should be given to the accused and that he had chalked a plan to destroy the society. However, the defense counsel argued that the age and family background of the accused should be considered and a lesser punishment should be given.

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According to the NIA, the terrorist planned a similar string of explosions in Kerala and was a follower of Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka. Additionally, the NIA has gathered proof against him for trying to recruit young people via social media for the terrorist organisation. This case was included in the 2016 Kasargod Islamic State (IS) module case.

The 18th accused in the case, Aboobacker, was arrested in May 2018 while being investigated for a case involving the Islamic State's (IS) Kasaragod module. Aboobacker Sidique, a resident of Kasaragod, and Muhammad Faizal, a native of Kollam, became hostile during the trial. The case dealt with the 15 youths who disappeared from Kasaragod and then moved to regions that were controlled by IS.

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