NIA Special Court Jails Islamic State Conspirator Who Had Left India to Join ISIS

A special NIA court in Ernakulam has sentenced an Islamic State conspirator who had left India to join the ISIS terrorist organisation to varying jail terms, an official said on Wednesday. Nashidul Hamzafar (28) of Wayanad was convicted last week under sections of the Indian Penal Code besides the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, an official of the premier investigation agency said.

The Special Court for NIA cases in Ernakulam on Tuesday sentenced Hamzafar to separate three and five years of rigorous imprisonments for commission of offences under sections of the IPC with a fine of Rs 10,000, and two five-year jail terms of rigorous imprisonment under the UA(P)A, the NIA official said. The case pertains to activities of 14 youths from Kasaragod district of Kerala who along with their families had exited India between May and July 2016 and joined the ISIS, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) official said.

In pursuance to the criminal conspiracy hatched with fugitive ISIS accused Abdul Rashid Abdulla, Ashfak Majeed and others, Hamzafar had left India on October 3, 2017 and travelled to Muscat, Oman before travelling to Iran, the official said. He then reached Kabul where he was detained by the Afghan Security Agencies in October 2017 for illegally entering the country and attempting to join his associates in ISIS, the NIA official said.

In September 2018, the NIA arrested Hamzafar after he was deported from Kabul. The NIA had filed a chargesheet against him in March 2019, the official said. Hamzafar pleaded guilty to all charges and the NIA special court convicted him, the NIA official said.

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