She is a key link in Asia-Pacific terror network, and had tracked speeches of Zakir Naik and Anjem Chowdhury, says NIA

A 37-year-old former call centre executive in the Philippines, arrested for propagating Islamic extremism, has emerged as a key link for investigators in the U.S., Australia and India to gauge the reach and influence of the Islamic State in the region.

Arrested in the Philippines last year for calling on foreigners to join the fight against government forces to establish an Islamic State (IS) in Marawi, Karen Aisha Hamidon told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that she had not been taking orders from the IS leadership in Syria or Iraq and was her “own boss”.

Online operations

Ms. Hamidon was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation-Counter Terrorism Division of the Philippines on October 11, 2017. Her arrest came after the NIA sent evidence to the authorities in Manila in April 2017 after her name surfaced in several chats and messages of suspects held in India for propagating the IS ideology.

Following her arrest, an NIA team travelled to Manila and questioned Ms. Hamidon from April 24 to 28.

“The Philippines authorities were helpful and the visit is a good example of international cooperation in terrorism-related matters,” an NIA spokesperson said.

A senior NIA official said Ms. Hamidon held a degree in English and had worked in business process outsourcing (BPOs) and call centres. She used to run several chat groups on social media platforms such as Facebook, Telegram and WhatsApp, propagating the IS ideology. Married on four occasions — thrice online — Ms. Hamidon sought money from the men she chatted with.

She closely followed the speeches of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and the U.K.-based Anjem Chowdhury. Mr. Naik is wanted by the NIA for unlawful activities and terror funding.

“She stared at us when we asked who her handler was, paused, and then laughed out loud. She said she was her own master and claimed that she was not in touch with anyone in Syria or Iraq. She considers herself a leader by virtue of being the administrator of so many chat groups, where men followed her directions to carry out subversive activities,” an NIA official said.

According to the official, Ms. Hamidon stopped working at call centres three years ago to make a full-time career of selling IS propaganda.

“She contacted men online, chatted with them, instigated them to work for the Caliphate and on some occasions asked for money in return. She said though Indian men were good looking, they were stingy. We have evidence that at least three Indians, arrested in 2015 and 2016, had sent her money,” the official said.

Ms. Hamidon’s parents retired from the police. Her mother is Christian and father a Muslim. She practised Christianity till she was 19. “She converted to Islam when she was 19. She is highly radicalised and believes in the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate. She said non-believers (non-Muslims) had no right to stay in an Islamic country and if they wished to do so, they should pay jizya (tax). She was consciously and deliberately indulging in these activities,” the official said.

Call for fight

The day she was arrested from a condominium in Taguig City, Ms. Hamidon was sending messages on Telegram asking local and foreign Muslims to join the ‘Maute’ fighters in Marawi. The Maute group, an insurgent group active in south Philippines for years, pledged allegiance to the IS two years ago. They had captured Marawi city and were engaged in a conflict with security forces till October last year.

Ms. Hamidon was married to Abu Sharifah, the head of Ansar Khilafah in the Philippines that pledged allegiance to the IS.

“She has been married on four occasions, but lived only with Sharifah. He was killed in January 2017 by government forces. She says the other three marriages were online — including to a Singaporean,” the official said.

Giving details of the overseas investigations, an NIA spokesperson said that during the agency’s probe of IS-related cases registered in 2015 and 2016, it was found that three accused persons — Mohammed Naser of Tamil Nadu, and Mohd Sirajuddin and Adnan Hasan of Karnataka — were in online contact with Ms. Hamidon on Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram. “She recognised the Indians she was in touch with. This will strengthen our case in court,” the official said.

The agency also said Ms. Hamidon was in online contact with several Indians in central Asian countries.