Riyas Aboobacker sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for planning explosions in Kerala

KOCHI: Riyas Aboobacker, who planned to carry out explosions in Kerala, has been sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. A fine of Rs 1.25 lakh has also been imposed. The verdict is that of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Kochi. The court had earlier found Riyas guilty in the case.

Riyas Aboobacker is the only accused in the case. The charges against him include conspiracy, circulating ideas of a terrorist organization, working with ISIS etc.

The NIA arrested Riyas on May 15, 2018, while he was collecting explosives for a suicide attack. The case alleged that Riyas had conspired to carry out an explosion in Kerala along with National Thowheeth Jamaat leader Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the Easter bombing in Sri Lanka leaving 253 people dead and over 500 injured.

Riyas was arrested during an investigation of Kasaragod ISIS recruitment case. Muhammed Faizal from Kollam and Aboobacker Siddique from Kasaragod, who were arrested along with Riyas, turned approvers. Riyas planned the attack on the direction of Abdul Rashid Abdullah, who came to Afghanistan and who is a part of ISIS.