NIA files additional charge sheet against 9 in K'taka ISIS conspiracy case

The National Investigation Agency has filed its first supplementary charge sheet against nine people for their alleged involvement in a case related to a conspiracy by the global terror group ISIS to carry out terror attacks across the country.

Five of the accused in the charge sheet have tech backgrounds and had allegedly been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue courses in robotics to pick up skills for carrying out attacks in the future in furtherance of the terror group's agenda for the country, the federal agency said.

It identified the accused charge-sheeted on Friday as Mohamed Shariq (25), Maaz Muneer Ahmed (23), Syed Yasin (22), Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh (22), Huzair Farhan Baig (22), Mazin Abdul Rahman (22), Nadeem Ahmed K A (22), Zabiulla (32) and Nadeem Faizal N (27).

All of them belong to Karnataka and have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act, the probe agency said.

Ahmed and Syed Yasin were charge-sheeted in March this year. They have now been charged with other offences, the NIA said, adding they along with Reeshaan Thajuddin Sheikh, Mazin Abdul Rahman and Nadeem Ahmed KA studied mechanical and electrical engineering.

"They had been tasked by the foreign-based ISIS handler to pursue robotics courses to pick up skills to carry terrorist attacks in the future in furtherance of the IS (Islamic State) agenda for India," the federal probe agency said.

It said the investigations have revealed that Shariq, Muneer and Yasin had hatched a criminal conspiracy in connivance with IS operatives based abroad to promote terror and violence in the region at the direction of the terrorist group also known as Islamic State.

The trio had actively radicalised and recruited the co-accused with the intention to disturb the security, unity and sovereignty of the country, the NIA said.

It said the online handler had funded the accused through cryptocurrencies.

The case was initially registered by the Shivamogga Rural Police on September 19 last year and later taken over and re-registered by NIA on November 15.