Top IS recruiter for India held in Philippines

NEW DELHI: In what could boost National Investigation Agency ’s probe into cases of Islamic State operatives of Indian origin, Karen Aisha Hamidon — named in radicalization of Indian recruits — has been arrested in the Philippines The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines arrested the prominent female online recruiter who has been acting on behalf of the IS on several social media platforms.Hamidon, widow of Philippines-based terrorist leader Mohammad Jafaar Maquid , gained international notoriety in 2016 when Indian agencies found that she used Facebook, Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups to recruit ‘foreign fighters’ from India and other countries.Since then, she is wanted by intelligence agencies of over a dozen countries.NIA had sent a letter rogatory (a judicial request) last year to Philippines seeking details and evidence on Karen. In its request, NIA had provided her address in Diego Shilang village in Taguig City, Metro Manila, along with her phone numbers and her identity as Karen Aisha Al-Muslimah with her ID as @KarenAishaHamidon.Now, sources say, NIA will approach Philippines once again seeking access to her, so that she can be questioned about her links with ISIS operatives from India, who are yet to be traced. NIA may request to question her, either by video conferencing or by allowing a team to travel to Manila, added the source.Karen was arrested by the Phillippines agency two days back from Manila.Two Indian ISIS operatives – including an Indian Oil Corporation manager Mohammad Sirajuddin, arrested from Jaipur, and 23- year-old computer engineer from Tamil Nadu Mohammad Naseer, deported from Sudan — had claimed they were influenced by Karen.NIA had even named her in two of its chargesheets last year. She reportedly influenced many Indians through Facebook, Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups meant for IS supporters in countries like the US, the UK, India, the UAE, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh etc.According to NIA, she managed large online groups – “IslamQ&A” and “Ummah Affairs” — where IS members shared Caliphate's ideology and jihadi material and expressed a desire to travel to the territory.Some of the Indian IS operatives who were in touch with Karen reportedly came from Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli, Hyderabad, Srinagar, Sopore, Kanpur, Kolkata and Jaipur.In its chargesheet against Sirajuddin, NIA had claimed last year that he joined one of the WhatsApp groups namely “Ummah Affairs” using his mobile number.Interestingly, Karen had blocked Sirajuddin at one point from the WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels run and administered by her as she had differences with him. Sirajuddin, who was in touch with another IS online recruiter identified as “Mad-Mullah”, felt that Karen was a traitor and spread information about her that she was from a rival group.