PFI module had planned attacks on Jews visiting Tamil Nadu hill station, say NIA officials

The module comprising about 15 youths and their associates from southern States had also conspired to attack High Court judges, senior police officers and Muslims belonging to Ahmediya sect with the intention of committing terror acts within India, according to a NIA investigation

The Popular Front of India (PFI) has been extensively using social media for recruiting youths for anti-national activities and one of the modules of the now-banned outfit even had prepared to attack foreigners, especially Jews visiting Vattakkanal, a hill station in Tamil Nadu, officials said.

According to an investigation carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the module comprising about 15 youths and their associates from southern States, mostly PFI members or those attracted to the global terror group ISIS, had also conspired to attack High Court judges, senior police officers and Muslims belonging to Ahmediya sect with the intention of committing terror acts within India.

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The module had allegedly entered into criminal conspiracy to wage a war against the government by collecting explosives and other offensive materials to target important persons and places of public importance, the officials said.

The module — Ansar-ul-Khilafa Kerala — was also indulged in a secret campaign of recruiting, motivating and radicalizing Muslim youths to join ISIS/ISIL, they said, adding the associates used various internet based platforms (both surface and deep web) for propagating ISIS ideology.

Active surveillance mounted by the investigators found five suspects namely Manseed, Swalith Mohammed, Rashid Ali Safvan and Jasim N.K., and they were arrested from Kannur district in Kerala on October 2, 2016 while they were holding a conspiracy meeting as part of their preparation to allegedly wage a war against the government.

Later, searches were conducted at the residence of the accused and materials, including digital devices and documents, were seized. Custodial interrogation revealed that the accused had communicated with co-conspirator within and outside India over social media platforms like Facebook, Telegram, etc to allegedly wage a war against the government, the officials said.