IFP Exclusive

ISIS Lone Wolves Called on to Attack India

An ISIS recruiter has called for lone wolf attacks on Hindu religious congregations throughout India.

The ISIS recruiter in a recent audio clip transmitted via Telegram app is from Kasargod and asks Indian Muslims to launch attacks by driving a truck through devotees — mimicking similar ISIS inspired assaults in the West — or poisoning food.

The voice has been identified as that of Abdul Rashid alias Abdulla Abdul Rashid, the prime accused in the Kasargod Islamic State case being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The case relates to 21 ‘radicalised’ Keralites, including women and children, who left in 2016 to perform hijra (religious journey) to Islamic State-controlled Nangarhar province in Afghanistan. The NIA has already filed a charge sheet against 15 accused. Of them, one is in judicial custody and 14 others like Rashid are absconding.
“Yes, the voice in the clip is indeed that of Abdul Rashid. This has been verified by NIA with the help of his friends here and also matches with the voice in around 18-20 clips sent by him earlier, which we hadanalysed,” said an NIA officer, according to India Times.
Sources said that Rashid’s past clips had exhorted Indian Muslims to perform hijra to an ISIS-controlled territory, claiming how those who had done so were leading a comfortable and contended life there.
However, Rashid’s latest clip asks youths to stage attacks within India. “If you cannot do the hijra, then you should help the jihad using your wealth. If that too does not materialise, go for attack against the idolators and disbelievers. Use your intellect. Poison their food. Use trucks,” he says, reflecting a realisation that travel to shrinking ISIS territory may not be possible.
According to NIA sources, Rashid had in May 2017 created two Whatsapp groups, one with 212 members and another with 249 participants. The content shared by him on these groups comprised religious discourse and interpretations of Islam aimed at drawing youth to ISIS ideology and inviting support for ISIS.

IFP Editorial Staff

The IFP Editorial Staff is composed of dozens of skilled journalists, news-writers, and analysts whose works are edited and published by experienced editors specialized in Iran News. The editor of each IFP Service is responsible for the report published by the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website, and can be contacted through the ways mentioned in the "IFP Editorial Staff" section.

Recent Posts

Official: Iran responds to IAEA resolution with increased nuclear enrichment capacity

Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), says the organization…

58 minutes ago

Pictures: Demonstrators in Tehran support people of Gaza, Lebanon

Hundreds of people gathered in Tehran on Friday morning in front of the United Nations…

1 hour ago

Int’l lawyer: US plans to sanction countries cooperating with ICC on Netanyahu arrest

An international law expert and analyst has revealed the U.S. plans to impose punitive measures…

4 hours ago

Minister of science: 25% of Iranian university professors emigrated due to economic challenges

Iran’s Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, Hossein Simayee Saraf, addressed on Thursday academic migration…

4 hours ago

IRGC commander: ICC ruling against Netanyahu signifies political demise of Israel

The Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, says that…

4 hours ago

IRGC: US Iran’s main enemy, Israel can’t survive without its support

The spokesperson and deputy head of public relations for the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)…

6 hours ago