Chennai, Jan 28: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key suspect, identified as Alphazith (25), in connection with ISIS recruitment activities. The arrest took place in Purasaiwalkam, Chennai during a raid by NIA which commenced at 3.30 a.m. Tuesday.

Alphazith, a resident of the Mayiladuthurai district, was employed as a driver with Kasturi Ambulance Service in Purasaiwalkam. Preliminary investigations indicate that Alphazith was involved in recruiting individuals for ISIS, a banned terrorist organisation.

Further investigations are ongoing.

The NIA launched simultaneous raids in Chennai and Mayiladuthurai districts early Tuesday, starting at 3:30 a.m., following intelligence inputs that individuals in various districts of Tamil Nadu were being recruited for banned organisations.

The raids are being conducted at 15 locations in Mayiladuthurai and 5 locations in Chennai. NIA teams from Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, with support from the Tamil Nadu Police, are participating in the operation.

Sources within the Tamil Nadu Police revealed that the raids targeted areas associated with banned Islamic fundamentalist organisations.

The NIA has conducted multiple raids across Tamil Nadu in recent years, targeting locations such as Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, Madurai, and others. These operations often focused on former members of the outlawed Popular Front of India (PFI), an Islamist organisation banned by the Government of India in 2022. One notable case involved the February 5, 2019, murder of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Ramalingam in Thanjavur. Ramalingam was allegedly killed by PFI members for opposing the forced conversion of underprivileged individuals.

The NIA had earlier filed charges against 18 PFI members in connection with the case. On September 24, 2024, the NIA conducted raids at 12 locations in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, Kanyakumari, and Pudukottai. These raids were linked to recruitment activities for Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HUT), a banned terrorist organisation seeking to establish an Islamic state governed by its founder Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani’s constitution.

The investigation into HUT recruitment activities intensified after the Tamil Nadu Police arrested six men, including engineering graduate Hameed Hussain and his family members, on August 1, 2024. Hussain was identified as the mastermind behind HUT recruitment efforts, using social media to promote an Islamic caliphate and speak against democratic processes.

Another significant arrest occurred on August 31, 2024, when the NIA apprehended HUT activist Aziz Ahamed (also known as Jaleel Aziz Ahmed) at Bengaluru International Airport while he attempted to flee the country. This marked a major development in the NIA’s crackdown on the group’s activities in India.

The NIA continues to investigate the broader network involved in radicalisation and recruitment efforts, aiming to neutralise threats to national security. (INAS)

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