India needs to be mindful of 'do it yourself' terrorists: Rajnath Singh
Jaipur: After alerting the country against 'lone wolf attacks', Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday underlined the threat posed by the 'Do it Yourself' breed of terrorists who gain information in bomb-making and suicide attacks over the internet to perpetrate terror acts.
"Exploiting the power of internet and ideological motivation, terror groups like DAESH and al-Qaeda have already flooded the internet with literature pertaining to bomb making and suicide attacks which present a risk of emergence of 'DIY' (Do it Yourself) terrorists," he said.
"India also needs to be mindful of this possibility," Mr Singh said while addressing the second edition of counter-terrorism conference organised by the India Foundation in collaboration with government of Rajasthan in Jaipur. He said the prowling illegal information and activities in the cyberspace was also acting as an "enabler" for 'Lone Wolf attacks' across the globe.
A lone wolf terrorist is one who indulges in violence in support of some group, movement or ideology but works alone, outside of any command structure and without material assistance from any group.
He also urged the security establishment and those associated with it to use the word DAESH while identifying the acts and terrorists of the ISIS.
"It is a cause of grave concern that the cyber world is being exploited by terror groups such as DAESH or ISIS to radicalise the gullible youth of our country. Since, many security experts and intellectuals are present here, I appeal to all of you to use the word DAESH to mention ISIS in future because this terror organisation is seeking legitimacy through the word 'Islamic State'," he said.
DAESH is an acronym for the Arabic phrase al-Dawla al-Islamiya al-Iraq al-Sham (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) but the terror group shuns using this name to identify itself.
The Home Minister said that India has undertaken multiple steps and strategies to combat against the radicalisation of its youth by this terrorist ideology.
"We have adopted a multi-pronged strategy against the attempts to radicalise the youth of the country. On the one hand we have successfully de-radicalised our youth and on the other hand our security agencies have also taken action against certain individuals for their links and association with terror organisations," said Mr Singh.
"The security experts believe that India's strategy against radicalisation is far more positive and effective than other countries of the world," he added.
He also reiterated India's commitment to the world to jointly tackle terrorism.
"We are hopeful and firmly convinced that together we can neutralise any threat to our country. We also would like to assure various dignitaries and participants from friendly foreign countries that India stands firmly behind the international community in the fight against terrorism," he said.
It has been resolved in the past to take a calibrated policy jointly with central and state governments to deal with the threat of ISIS in the country.
