Shafi Armer hails from Bhatkal in coastal Karnataka He initially joined Indian Mujahiddin with his elder brother Sultan Armer After their split with MI, the brothers chose ISIS over Al-Qaeda The US has now declared Shafi Armer as the global terrorist Here are seven facts about Shafi’s life after leaving his home in Bhatkal
Shafi Armer is born as the second child of the parents living in Bhatkal, a coastal taluk in Karnataka state. The region was well known as the place in Karnataka to get arms and lethal weapons, illegally. Now especially for more than five years, with the arrest of Yasin Bhatkal, the place has become synonymous with terrorism.
Shafi is also known by names Anjan Bhai, Chote Maula and Yousouf al-Hindi. Shafi’s brother Sultan was killed last month in combat at Kobane in Syria.
1) Joining Indian Mujahiddin
Shafi Armer along with his elder brother Sultan Armer left his family to join Indian Mujahiddin under the influence of Yasin Bhatkal. Mohammed Ahmed Siddibappa alias Yasin of the same taluk, Bhatkal, influenced Sultan to join IM. He took his younger brother Shafi with him while joining the banned organisation. Yasin is the founder leader of the proscribed terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen. Yasin was listed on the NIA Most Wanted until his arrest on the India-Nepal border near Motihari, Bihar on 28 August 2013.
2) Indian Mujahiddin operations
Sultan Armer became involved in the main operations of IM under the guidance of Riyaz Bhatkal, who had directly roped the brothers into IM. They were immediately taken to Pakistan, where Sultan became the chief operator and Shafi was like the second in command to his brother. The brothers were asked to go to Oman to set up a team there
3) Online presence
Shafi was not seen much in the active fight. Instead, he was trying to make the IM’s presence stronger through online means. He was writing literature on the cause they were fighting and attracted many youths to their cause.
4) Split with Indian Mujahiddin
But when Sultan and Shafi were asked to go Oman, an argument arose between Iqbal and the Armer brothers. Iqbal was the elder brother of Riyaz. The Armer brothers accused him of having an illegal affair and misappropriating money. The fight could not be solved, and the brothers decided to call it quits with Indian Mujahiddin.
5) Joining ISIS
Initially, Armer brothers wanted to join Al-Qaeda. But its decreasing popularity and the increasing presence of the ISIS made their decision easy. Shafi completely dedicated himself to making the presence of ISIS felt online. Impressed by his work, the brothers were recruited in ISIS and were given the responsibility of recruiting more people into it.
6) Name crops up
Unlike Yasin and Riyaz, Shafi’s name did not crop up until recently in any big terrorist activities. His name was first heard when a team is trying to burst a terror plan in Rajasthan in 2014. Shafi’s name cropped up again when another module was busted in 2015 in Madhya Pradesh. Now, he is known by the world as the most wanted terrorist after the US declared him a global terrorist.
7) Location
After he left his Bhatkal house five years ago, his location has been traced to Pakistan, Afghanistan Saudi Arabia, Oman and Syria. But no confirmed reports yet on his whereabouts.
