Palakkad Man Gets 10 years of Rigorous Imprisonment for Aiding ISIS Activities

KOCHI, KERALA: Riyas Aboobacker, a Palakkad native accused of being a member of the terror group ISIS and planning terror attacks on its behalf was, on Friday, sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by a special NIA (National Investigation Agency) court. The court charged Aboobacker on February 7 under sections 38 (membership of a terrorist organisation) and 39 (support given to a terrorist organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act alongside Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. 

Judge Mini S Das also imposed a fine of Rs 1.25 lakh on Aboobacker.      

As per the NIA, Aboobacker was not only in direct contact with members of ISIS but also reportedly organised meetings in Kochi where he decided to carry out suicide attacks to further the terror outfit's activities in India. Moreover, the agency claimed that Aboobacker had also attempted to spread his ideology and convince others to carry out similar terror attacks across India. 

It had also told the court that Aboobacker, who was arrested in April 2019, followed the speeches and videos of Zahran Hashim, a supporter of ISIS in Sri Lanka and that the Palakkad native was also influenced by speeches of Zakir Naik, founder of banned organisation Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

The IRF has been banned as an unlawful association under the UAPA by the Indian government.

Hashim is the leader of the National Thowheed Jamaath, the group which claimed responsibility for the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka in April 2019 that killed 250 people.

With inputs from PTI.