THRISSUR: ISIS terrorist Arafat Ali, who planned terror attacks in various parts of India, was arrested by the NIA at the Delhi airport on Thursday. The NIA ambushed Ali and arrested him when he landed at Indira Gandhi Airport from Nairobi. The NIA earlier received a tip-off that the ISIS module worker was planning a return to India.

Arafat’s name was much talked about among the investigation agencies for his purported involvement in last year’s Manguluru blast. He has been absconding since 2020 and was pulling strings for terror activities in India while staying abroad. According to NIA, Arafat was recruiting Indian Muslim youths to ISIS while living abroad.

Arafat Ali hails from Thirthahalli, Shivamogga, Karnataka. After completing his diploma in electronics from Sahyadri Polytechnic in Thirthahalli, Arafat chose Dubai as his new abode where his father Ahmed Bawa had a pan shop. Arafat is the main accused in the conspiracy plan to blast the Kadri Manjunath temple in Mangaluru. The pressure cooker bomb that his accomplice Muhammad Sharifaq took to detonate the temple exploded inside an autorickshaw. This was how the brutal plan of destruction came out.

Arafat was in regular contact with many other participants in the case. It was also found that he had transferred money to Muhammad Sharifaq several times to carry out terrorist attacks. According to NIA, it was Arafat’s black hands that were behind the Anti-Sangh parivar slogans that appeared in the form of graffiti in Manguluru city.

"Don't force us to invite Lashkar-e-Taiba and Taliban to fight the Sanghis, Lashkar-e-Zindabad," the graffiti read. Muhammad Sharifaq and Mas Munir Ahmed wrote on the walls at the instigation of Arafat Ali.

Arafat's arrest is believed to be a turning point in exposing the anti-India terror conspiracy of ISIS' foreign modules.