Two more youths picked up by NIA in Coimbatore

Two more youths from the city have been picked up for questioning by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe their alleged association with a suspected Islamic State (IS) operative, arrested a few days ago in neighbouring Kerala, police said on Sunday.

NIA officials are questioning them in the police Commissioner's office, they said, adding that the two hail from Ukkadam here.

Based on inputs received from Abu Basheer, a suspected IS operative, NIA has so far questioned 15 persons from the city, who were later let off.

Basheer, hailing from Tamil Nadu, was among the six arrested from Kannur in Kerala recently for being part of an IS-inspired module that allegedly conspired to carry out terror attacks.