ISIS recruiter reveals 40 people attended terror group's classes in Kerala
Kasargod: A suspected Islamic State recruiter, who was arrested last week from Delhi airport, has revealed that nearly 40 people from Kerala and neighboring Karnataka had attended the terror group's classes, prompting police to enhance surveillance in the state.
According to a report, the recruiter identified as Yasmin Ahmad, a school teacher by profession, told police that an ISIS recruiter named Rashid, who is currently operating from Afghanistan, has radicalised nearly 40 youths from Kerala.
Yasmin was arrested last week when she tried to escape to Kabul from New Delhi airport. She was believed to be on her way to join the Kabul-based ISIS recruiter Rashid.
Police are determining the cause of sudden disappearance of 21 suspected radicalised youths from Kerala between May and June and are trying to establish a relation between their disappearance and Yasmin.
“We have identified some of those who attended radicalization sessions conducted by Rashid in Thrikkaripur in north Kerala’s Kasargode. We are closely watching movements of some of them," Special Investigation Team from Kerala said.
Hailing from Saudi Arabia, Yasmin came to Kerala three years ago with her husband Syed Ahmad. She took a job at Peace International School in Malappuram.
In her statement to the police, Yasmin said that she met Rashid at the school and was influenced by his beliefs. She further added that Rashid, under the guise of Quran classes, briefed school teachers about Islamic State.
"Rashid often read ISIS propaganda magazine, Dabiq and used online material to radicalise youth," Yasmin was quoted as saying.
Moreover, intelligence agencies are probing Yasmin's connection with ISIS after they found out that about Rs. 2 lakhs were deposited in her account barely two weeks before her arrest.
Nearly a month ago, Ijas Muhammad, a physician and native of Kasargode in northern Kerala, who allegedly fled the country to join ISIS, had sent an audio message to his parents, telling them not to look for him as he had ‘reached his destination’.
