Delhi court convicts 6 persons in ISIS conspiracy case

New Delhi: A Delhi court has held six persons guilty in case related to conspiracy hatched by the ISIS to establish its base in India by recruiting Muslim youth through social media platforms.

In an order passed on August 6, Special NIA Judge Parveen Singh held them guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act. The matter stands fixed for pronouncement of judgement and quantum of punishment on August 19.

They have been convicted under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, Section 17 (raising funds for terrorist act), Section 18 (conspiracy), Section 23 (intent to aid any terrorist contravenes), Section 38 (being associated with terrorist organisation), Section 39 (support given to terrorist organisation) and Section 40 (raising funds for terrorist organisation) under the UAPA and Sections 5 and 6 of Explosive Substances Act.

The case was registered on December 9, 2015. During the course of investigation, searches were conducted in various cities and nineteen accused persons were arrested. NIA later filed the charge sheet against 16 persons in 2016-2017.

"It was revealed that the accused persons had formed an organisation by name Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind, a group seeking to establish Caliphate in India and pledging allegiance to ISIS, to recruit Muslim youth to work for ISIS and commit acts of terrorism in India at the behest of one Yusuf-Al-Hindi who is based in Syria and is purportedly the media chief of ISIS," the agency said in a statement.

Out of 16 accused persons, six accused namely Mudabbir Mushtaq Sheikh, Mohammed Shareef Moinudeen Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammed Hussain Khan, Syed Mujahid and Mohammed Azhar Khan pleaded guilty before the trial Court.

According to the National Investigation Agency, this is the first case in which the conspiracy of this magnitude involving online radicalization was effected on cyber space in the aftermath of declaration of Islamic Caliphate by Abu-Baqar-Al-Bagdadi in 2014.

"No terror organisation prior to the emergence of ISIS had used ICT (Information Communication Technology) on such a large scale to scout, recruit, train and motivate its cadre for the acts of terror. Utmost precaution was taken by them by using encrypted tools to keep the communication among the ISIS handlers and potential recruiters, both in India as well as abroad, secret," the statement read.