The Hyderabad unit of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed charge-sheet against eight Hyderabadis, who had been arrested about six months ago on the charge of conspiring terror attacks at public places in the city.
While five of the accused had been arrested in simultaneous raids in different parts of Hyderabad, the remaining had been caught in subsequent searches. Semi-automatic firearms, air rifle, pellets and knives had been seized from their possession.
Different types of explosive chemical substances meant for preparation of Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), nitrate and equipment used for making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and bundles of wire had been recovered from them then, according to an NIA press release.
Investigators said the accused had got radicalised online having watched video clips of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), ‘Bayans’ (discourses and lectures) of radical Islamic preachers including Anwar Awlaki, Abdul Sami, Meraj Rabbani, Tausif-ur-Rehman and Zakir Naik. Probe had confirmed that the eight accused had downloaded content relating to ISIS prapaganda videos and ISIS magazine ‘Dabiq’.
Secret communication
This group of Hyderabadis called itself Jund-ul-Khilafa Fi Bilad-Al-Hind (Army of the Caliph from South India). It associated itself itself with the ISIS and owed its allegiance to the outlawed terrorist organisation through Abu Bakr-al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed Caliph of ISIS.
To ensure that they were not tracked, members of the module had used different modes of secret communication. Investigators said they had made use of dark net through Tor browser. The accused had used encrypted applications like Orbot, Amn-al-Mujahid (an encrypted software programme by Al-Fajr media centre), Chat Secure and Telegram.
While sending emails, they had used Tutanota on Tails Operating System platform so that their activity didn’t come on the radar of law-enforcing agencies.
