Bengaluru: Mohammed Shafi Armar, alias Yousuf, who is said to be behind the alleged radicalisation of 13 suspects, who were arrested by the National Investigation Agency last week from across six cities, including Bengaluru, for alleged links with the Islamic State, is reportedly recruiting Indians online from an undisclosed place in Al Raqqa in war-torn Syria.
“Shafi is heading Ansar-ut Tawhid fi Bilad al-Hind (AuT) and is the brain behind the neo-terrorist outfit — ‘Junud ul Khalifa e Hind’ — which has been floated to outsmart the now almost defunct Indian Mujahideen after the split between the Armar and Bhatkal (Iqbal and Riyaz) siblings over ideology and receiving and handling of terror funds. AuT is also allegedly looking to hire teenagers for fidayeen attacks in India,” said an official source.
Read: 2 al-Qaeda sleeper cell operatives arrested from Jamshedpur
Shafi, according to intelligence agencies, is trying to come of age in global terrorism after his brother Sultan Armar was killed in March 2015 while fighting for the ISIS. The Armar siblings had fled Bhatkal almost a decade ago to join hands with the co founders of IM — Riyaz and Iqbal — but due to differences the Armars split from the Shahbandaris and joined the ISIS.
Though Shafi Armar has long fled the country, the intelligence agencies are looking for his mother and younger, teenaged brother, who live in Dubai but occasionally visit Bhatkal.
“The Armars used to live in a rented house in Nawayath Colony. Two years ago, their mother shifted to Kargaddey, but soon she vacated that house too. We don’t know her whereabouts,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
