Photograph of Areeb Majeed with two other IS fighters posted on Twitter Photograph of Areeb Majeed with two other IS fighters posted on Twitter

Fresh images have surfaced online of civil engineering student Areeb Majeed’s days as a member of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria — along with the claim that he had returned to India last November to carry out a suicide attack.

A string of posts on Wednesday night from a Twitter account believed to be operated by Fahad Shaikh — one of the four youths from Kalyan in Thane, including Areeb, who joined the IS last May — claimed to reveal the “truth about Areeb Majeed, an Indian IS martyrdom operator”.

The handle @spamci17, under the name ‘Magnet Gas’, claimed that Areeb was lured back to India as he believed his sister had been insulted by police, and that he decided to return to carry out a suicide attack on the “police headquarters”.

The account also has images of Areeb — currently in judicial custody — posing with two other fighters, and with an assault rifle during his days with the IS.

When contacted, Areeb’s lawyer described the tweets as an attempt to “sabotage” his client’s case. “This could be some mischief by a person who is unhappy with Areeb’s return to India and cooperation with police, or mischief by someone to sabotage Areeb’s case or scuttle his chances of securing bail and some pending applications moved by us. We have a very strong case in Areeb’s favour,” said Abdul Wahab Khan, Areeb’s lawyer.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it has taken note of the tweets. “We are aware of the fresh photographs and claims about Areeb Majeed posted by an account operated by Fahad Shaikh. If necessary, we can even confront Areeb with these claims about the attack on the police headquarters,” said a senior NIA officer.

“Areeb was very happy with his work in serving Islamic State as a civil engineer,” @spamci17 tweeted, along with a photograph of a smiling Areeb on a motorbike with a rifle slung over his shoulder, set against the backdrop of a construction site.

“But later her sister called him and told him that indian police has abused her. Now what? Areeb decided to kill the police officer,” the next tweet read.

The subsequent posts claimed that “Areeb decided to go back india and perform a martyrdom operation on police headquarters”; “But going back india He found all it was planned by his family member to bring him back. His family deceived him”.

In what appears to a warning to other foreign fighters in IS, the next tweet stated: “Areebs big mistake Continuous Communication with his family. No ‘listen and obey’ in this situation.”

The handle also claimed that Areeb had attempted four suicide missions for the IS, all of which failed. A tweet accompanying a photograph of Areeb posing with two purported IS fighters read: “Areeb Majeed with three Martyrdom operator in iraq. Areeb Attempted 4 times for Martyrdom operation but was failed.”

“Due to Airstrikes, and car failure Forth time he got shot in his shoulder. He return back to syria to work as a civil engineer,” the Twitter account posted.

Referring to the tweets, NIA officers said that Areeb had told them during interrogation about the failed suicide missions.

Other tweets posted by the account on Wednesday claimed that when Areeb was working as a civil engineer for IS in Syria, he wanted his family to join him and was making preparations for this.

According to the NIA’s chargesheet, reported by The Indian Express on May 21, Areeb “sneaked into the country” and was “apprehended at the Mumbai airport”. But his mother, Raziya, had told The Indian Express then that “the government put him in an aircraft, to be flown back to the country (from Turkey)”.

According to the chargesheet, Majeed, 24, reached Istanbul on November 26, 2014 and acquired emergency documents as he had lost his passport. The next day, he reportedly “sneaked” into India by a Turkish airline flight and was “apprehended” at the Mumbai airport, it stated.

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