National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested one Zuhaib Hameed Shakeel Manna (32) for having alleged links with the Islamist terror group ISIS. Shakeel Manna a key part of Quran Circle, and was wanted by NIA for helping the terror outfit in raising funds and radicalizing Muslim youths.
In a press statement issued yesterday, NIA said that Shakeel Manna and other accused persons “had raised funds, radicalized gullible Muslim youth through Quran Circle group and recruited them and illegally sent them to Syria via Turkey to join ISIS. Zuhaib Manna had used his contacts to motivate and radicalize many impressionable Muslim youths by showing them videos depicting atrocities on Muslims in Syria.”
Shakeel Manna, who was absconding from the last year, was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on November 17 right after his arrival from Dammam in Saudi Arabia. The accused is a native of Tilak Nagar of East Bengaluru and he is a specialist in computer applications. Besides, he also runs a business.
NIA probe revealed youths sent to Syria to join ISIS
The case in which Shakeel Manna has been arrested was instituted on September 19 last year. The NIA had booked Shakeel Manna, Muhammad Tauqir Mahmood, Irfan Nasir, Shihab and Zuhab Hameed under sections 120B, 125 of IPC and Section 17, 18 & 18B of UA (P) Act.
Investigation revealed that through Quran Circle, Muslim youths were radicalized and some of them were even illegally sent to Syria to join ISIS. Earlier In 2013, Muhammad Tauqir Mahmood along with his associate had also visited Syria illegally to liaise with Daesh leadership and had offered support from Indian Muslims.
What is Quran Circle
The NIA got the lead of Quran Circle during the investigation of RC-11/2020/NIA/DLI (Islamic State Khorasan Province) case where the agency had arrested Bengaluru-based doctor (ophthalmologist) Dr. Abdur Rahman alias Dr Brave.
Abdur Rahman was making social media apps for ISIS terrorists and he had visited Syria to treat injured ISIS cadres in 2013-14. He had revealed before the agency about the Bengaluru-based ISIS module.
The investigation had busted the module and it was revealed that Ahamed Abdul Cader, Irfan Nasir and some of their associates who are members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir (international pan-Islamist and fundamentalist organization), had formed a group namely “Quran Circle” to further their ISIS-related activities.
The NIA arrested Ahamed Abdul Cader and Irfan Nasir last month, who hail from Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu and Fraser town in Bengaluru respetively. Cader worked as a business analyst in Chennai while Nasir was a rice merchant.
