THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Al-Qaeda terrorists are held in the state for the first time. Earlier, police and central agencies have received warning on the presence of terrorist organisations in the state. United nations, central govt and US espionage agencies have given information regarding the presence of ISIS in Kerala and Karnataka and the Al-Qaeda terrorists were nabbed by NIA, when the state police had no clue about them.

NIA has recently found out that Abu Tahir, a native of Palakkad, has joined in Al-Qaeda’s Syrian wing Jabayyat-Al-Nusra. Tahir who was earlier working in a media organisation went to abroad in 2013 and he made attempts to recruit, youth from Kerala via a website, named as Tahir Hassan. This website was withdrawn by him after it came under NIA’s lens. He had also called his relatives from Syria. He also attemted to make an armed gang to fight against India. However, sources say that he was killed in an air strike by US forces in April 2017. But NIA is yet to confirm this information.

Reports state that another Malayalee from Kozhikode, Riyab Ali who was settled in UAE has also joined Al-Qeda after reaching Syria. UAE police says that he went to Syria via Yemen and Turkey. He contacted the terrorist through facebook. The case against Riyab which was registered by Kerala polie has been transferred to NIA.

Probe led by central agencies has found that Kerala provides a safe haven for sleeper cells of terrorists organisations. Bodo terrorists from Assam has also stayed among the migrant labourers of Kerala. Central agencies nabbed them through the phone calls made by them. Sources from these agencies say that in Kerala they are receiving all assistance including financial back-up.

‘Operation Chakravyuh’

The terrorists is likely to contact people outside their limits. In order to find our their secret transactions IB and NIA has already have a surveillance programme called ‘Chakravyuh’, which is implemented with assistance from foreign agencies. They also have a software which analyses data to trace out presence of terrorists. Currently, 140 persons who have suspicious social media relations are under the NIA scanner.

In UAE, 19 Indians, among which 11 are Malayalees, are currently serving prison term for having links with terrorists organisations. Turkey police has sent back 30 Indians who went there to join terror organisations under the garb of tourists. In Kerala, many including women has fled the state to join terror organisations like ISIS.