Days after conducting raids and arrests of Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders, the central government on Wednesday banned the Islamist organisation and its associates for 5 years.
In the notification, one of the reasons given by the Centre to ban the Islamist organisation was its links with terror outfits, most notably ISIS. The Union home ministry said some PFI activists joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and took part in terror activities there. Some of the PFI members have also been arrested on the charges of indulging in terror activities in India and solidifying the network in the country.
Here are some of the terror cases filed against PFI activists and members:
Kunnur ISIS case
Kerala had long become the hotbed of Islamic terrorism, and the PFI and its affiliate organisations played a chief role toward that end. Many indoctrinated PFI members, had sought to travel to the middle-east to join the dreaded Islamic terror outfit the Islamic State.
Shahjahan VK, a resident of Kannur, Kerala, was one such individual who had travelled to Turkey/Syria to be a part of the ISIS terror group. The special cell of the Delhi Police which was working on unearthing the ISIS network in India had received information that Shahjahan had visited the national capital. They learnt that Shahjahan had been deported from Turkey/Syria for carrying out terror activities.
In 2017, the special cell of the Delhi Police received intel that Shahjahan had been able to forge a passport in the name of Mohammed Ismail Mohideen and had probably gone out of India again.
Later, Special Cell was informed by Central Intelligence Agency that Mohammed Ismail Mohideen had been arrested by Turkish Authorities and will be reaching Delhi Airport on 01.07.2017.
Acting on the Central Intelligence Agency’s tip, the Special Cell arrested Mohideen and Abdul Razak Kunhil Pocker, who was coming along with him. In his interrogation, Shajahan disclosed that he obtained the passport on the forged identity of Mohammed Ismail Mohideen after his deportation from Turkey in February of the same year.
A case vide crime No. 44/2017 dated 01.07.2017 was registered at Special Cell Police Station of Delhi Police Under Sections 420,467,468,471 & 120B of Indian Penal Code and Section 12 of the Passport Act, 1967 and sections 18,20& 38 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 related to visiting Turkey/Syria for carrying out terror activities after procuring Indian Passport on forged identity. Given the gravity of the case and its Pan-Indian & transnational linkages, the case was transferred to NIA on September 4, 2017. NIA re-registered a case vide No. RC-12/2017/NIA/DLI dated 05.09.2017.
The NIA investigation found that Shahjahan had joined the National Democratic Fund (the predecessor to PFI) and gradually got radicalised by its leaders. Local PFI leaders namely Haris, Shabeer, Manaf, Mustafa, Sadik, Shajil and others indoctrinated him to pursue a militant version of Islam. He attended all PFI meetings in 2008 where the discussions were made on atrocities committed on the Muslims by the non-believers in India and other parts of the world.
The NIA also found that one Shameer, then Divisional President, Vallapatnam PFI, played a pivotal role in brainwashing Shahjahan with ISIS ideology. After the declaration of the Caliphate by Abu Bakar Baghdadi of ISIS, Shameer motivated Shajahanto to go for hijra as per Hadis and Quran for waging Jihad.
As instructed by Shameer, Shahjahan, along with his family, travelled to Malaysia in October 2016 en route to his final destination Syria. From Syria, he travelled to Iran, and from there, he proceeded to Istanbul, Turkey. However, the enforcement agencies in Turkey apprehended him and deported him back to India in February 2017.
After his failed attempt, Shahjahan planned to go to Syria for Hijra in March 2017. He acquired a forged passport and reached Turkey, where law enforcement officials once against apprehended him and deported him back to India on 1 July 2017.
The NIA filed a charge sheet in the case, naming 17 people in the case, most of whom were linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) in some or the other capacity.
Kochi Omar Al Hindi Case
The Kochi Omar Al Hindi case pertains to a terror module comprising of 15 youths and their associates from Southern Indian state owing their allegiance to ISIS and entering into a criminal conspiracy to wage a jihad against the government by gathering explosives and other materials to target important personalities and public places.
The module, “Ansar-ul khilafa KL” was also involved in a clandestine campaign of enlisting, encouraging, and brainwashing Muslim youths into joining the Islamic State. The associates of the module used various social media platforms to brainwash Muslim youth with incriminating material that propagated ISIS ideology.
In October 2016, police arrested five accused namely Manseed, Swalith Mohammed, Rashid Ali safvan and Jasim NK arrested from Kanakamala within Chockli police station limits of Kannur district, Kerala, while they were holding a conspiracy meeting as part of their preparation to wage a war against the government.
Interrogation of the accused and the further investigation of the matter revealed that the accused had knowingly and intentionally conspired and conducted preparation to attack foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakkanal near Kodaikanal, to attack prominent political leaders at Kozhikode, Kerala, attack programme of Jamaat-e-Islami at Kochi. They had also conspired to attack High court judges, senior police officers and Muslims belonging to the Ahmadiyya sect with the intention of committing terror acts within India.
The primary accused in the case was Omar Al Hindi alias Muthukka, who had not only hatched the conspiracy but also provided physical training to the members. He was initially radicalised by classes of PFI at his native place. He was active in PFI and its overseas front India Fraternity Forum (IFF, Doha). Safvan was another key accused, whose role involved spreading ISIS propaganda and recruiting Muslims capable of carrying out terror attacks. He was an active PFI worker and was working as a graphic designer in Thejas Daily (PFI mouthpiece). He had also undergone physical training at NDF (one of the parent organisations of PFI).
Valappattanam ISIS Case
In 2017, the Kerala Police got information that some Muslim youth have migrated to Syria and were on their way to Syria to join ISIS and wage its violent jihad. Most of the accused in the case, the police later found, were members of the Islamist radical organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).
As per the case details, one Hamza, a gulf returnee, was the mastermind behind recruiting Muslim youths in Kerala to join ISIS. To execute his plans, Hamza befriended many PFI supporters and members who harboured anti-national sentiments against India.
Divisional president of PFI, Md Sameer aka Abu Safvan hatched and conveyed an elaborate plan for the ISIS joins to exit India and enter Syria through different countries to avoid suspicion and finally join ISIS in Syria. Later, Abdul Manaf alias Abu Fathima and Mohammed Sameer TV aka Abu Safvan, both PFI leaders, were killed in Syria while waging Jihad. As the investigation progressed, 5 persons, including the mastermind, were arrested by the Kerala Police before joining ISIS.
Hamza, the mastermind in the case, was a rabid supporter of the ISIS and Taliban. He indoctrinated PFI members Mohammed Sameer and Abdul Manan to perform ‘hijra’ from the land of the infidels. Sameer brainwashed other PFI associates, including Shahjahan VK and Mohammed Shajil, to join him in his plan to become a member of ISIS.
Sameer moved to Saudi Arabia in December 2015 on the pretext of performing Umrah. He then directed other PFI associates in India to leave the country and join the Caliphate in Syria. Later, Sameer was killed in Syria. Meanwhile, Abdul Manan aka Abu Fathima, another rabid Islamist of PFI, joined ISIS in Syria through the Turkish border. Later, he was also killed while waging war in Syria. Mohammed Shajil and Shahjahan VK also encouraged their close associates in PFI to wage jihad in Syria.
However, after Shahjahan was deported back to India, his associates who were dreaming of joining ISIS went underground. However, Shahjahan continued with his efforts to perform ‘Hijra’. In his second attempt, with the help of one Midlaj or Abu Misab, who was also recruiting youth to ISIS, Shajahan V.K managed to convince Abdul Khayoom and Abdul Razak to join ISIS. Among the trio, only Abdul Khayoom (reportedly killed in Syria) was able to sneak into Syria. Shajahan and Abdul Razak were deported back to India.
