KANNUR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday nabbed six men from Kanakamala, near Panoor here for allegedly having links with terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS). One of them was nabbed from Kuttiady, Kozhikode. The NIA team conducted a raid following a tip-off that the men were holding a meeting in the area and took them into custody. The team led by SP Shoukath Ali had started combing the area in the afternoon and no information regarding the men were released. The men were taken into custody after their WhatsApp and Telegram (app) messages were tracked by state and Central agencies for several months.

According to sources, it was a preemptive raid to thwart any untoward attempt by the men, all of whom are aged below 25. All the members of the group, around 20 of them, had not seen each other and the meeting on Sunday was an attempt to meet up as they suspected that their messages were being leaked. The NIA team left with the men soon after taking them into custody. There are also unconfirmed reports that the nabbed men and their group had targeted top police officials and judges. As the news of the arrest spread, many people started heading to Kanakamala.