india

Updated: Jun 21, 2019 00:09 IST

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday raided a 26-year-old man’s residence in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore over his alleged links with a suspect arrested earlier this month for allegedly operating a Facebook page containing propaganda of the so-called Islamic State (IS), according to people aware of the developments.

M Shinoid’s house was raided on the basis of the interrogation of the suspect, Mohammed Azharudeen, 32.

“He [Azharudeen] was also a Facebook friend of Zahran Hashim, the mastermind Sri Lanka’s Easter bombing. While interrogating Azharudeen, he said that he has given two hard discs to Shinoid. Therefore, we raided his place...” said an NIA official on condition of anonymity.

The official added they have recovered two hard discs from Shinoid’s house and told him that he would be summoned for an inquiry, if needed.

The NIA had conducted searches at seven locations in Coimbatore in connection with a suspected IS Kerala-Tamil Nadu module on June 12 and 14.

NIA registered a case against Azharudeen, Akram Sindhaa, 26, Y Shiek Hidayathullah, 38, M Abubacker M, 29, A Sadham Hussain, and Ibrahim, 28, on May 30 for propagating the IS’s ideology on social media with the intention of recruiting vulnerable youths for carrying out attacks.

Azharudeen is alleged to be the leader of the module and had been maintaining the Facebook page named “KhilafahGFX”, which he used to allegedly propagate the IS ideology.