Jordan national persuaded Ibrahim Yazdani to join Islamic State

Multiple factors drove Mohammed Ibrahim Yazdani of Chatta Bazar in Old City towards the outlawed terror outfit Islamic State (IS), investigators surmise. Ibrahim was among the five persons arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials on charge of planning terror attacks at the behest of a IS handler operating from abroad. The quintet was taken into custody for 12 days from judicial remand by the NIA officials.

Religious issues

An electrical engineer, Ibrahim was not involved in any offence earlier. While pursuing his engineering programme, he got inspired in religious issues on hearing speeches of a Hyderabad-based preacher.

The preacher was operating a religious research centre.

While listening to the preacher’s speeches generated interest in him. It was a school friend who further introduced Ibhrahim to deeper religious issues. He got in touch with the school friend after joining the engineering course. On completion of the course, Ibrahim went abroad where he met a Jordan national while working with a private company.

The Jordan national was by then already closely following IS activities in Syria and got attracted to IS ideology and fight against western powers. “Ibrahim says the foreigner eventually joined the IS and went to Syria. This cannot be confirmed by us at this stage but Ibrahim had developed sympathy over IS operatives and believed whatever they were doing was right,” police officers associated with the investigation of the case said. After returning to India, the electrical engineer continued to study developments related to the IS.

While browsing content related to the IS, he got an online link and showed interest to know more about it. “He couldn’t come in contact with anyone connected to the IS immediately. Eventually, an IS handler Shafi Armar replied online to him it seems,” sources in the NIA said. According to information analysed by investigators, Armar was believed to have sent a video through Youtube to Ibrahim on how to make an Improvised Explosive Device.

But Ibrahim and his associates couldn’t succeed in it despite following the instructions given in the video clips.