THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Kochi, Sept 29: A National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Kochi on Monday sentenced two Coimbatore residents to eight years of rigorous imprisonment each for recruiting youth and spreading the ideology of the global terror group ISIS. The sentences will run concurrently.
The convicted, Muhammad Azharudeen (27) of Anbu Nagar, Ukkadam, and Shiek Hidayathulla, also known as Firoz Khan (35) of South Ukkadam, were found guilty under sections 120B of the Indian Penal Code (conspiracy), and sections 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (membership of and support to a terrorist organization).
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The case, registered in 2019, followed investigations triggered by the Easter terror attacks in Sri Lanka. NIA found that the duo had been actively promoting ISIS ideology and attempting to recruit vulnerable youth for terrorist activities across Tamil Nadu and Kerala between 2017 and March 2019.
Authorities recovered digital devices and social media content from the accused, which contained ISIS propaganda and materials linked to radical speakers, including the Sri Lankan ISIS leader Zahran Hashim.
The accused also travelled extensively across Kerala, meeting associates and expressing support for ISIS operations in South India.
Both Azharudeen and Hidayathulla are also implicated in the 2022 Coimbatore blast case, according to the NIA.
