Riyas Aboobacker (29) arrested by NIA in connection to SL attacks
Palakkad native Riyas Aboobacker (29) was arrested, on April 29, by NIA after taking into custody in connection with the links with Sri Lankan (SL) blasts. Reports suggest, NIA has traced his links with the Kasaragod-based IS recruitment. Abubaker Siddiq and Ahmed Arafat, both Kasaragod natives, were taken into custody couple of days before.
NIA has found that Riyas is linked with IS terrorist Abdul Rasheed Abdulla who lives undergound. He has admitted this, says the press release issued by NIA. Riyas carries out online link with Abdul Khayyum, the accused in the Valapattanam IS case. It is also alleged that Rias has watched and propaged the videos of the speeches of Sahran Hashim, the mastermind behind the SL blasts. NIA informs, Riyas had admiited that he wished to carry out suicide blasts in Kerala. He will be produced before the NIA court on April 30. He has reportedly said during the NIA interrogation that he got instructions from the Keralites who fled to Afghanistan and Syria to join IS. It is reproted that the IS recrutiments in Kerala are as per the instructions from IS terrorist Adulla Rashid, a Kasarago native. NIA inquired into the links between Riyas and Rashid and the exchanges of messages between them.
There are reports that NIA raids continue in Kerala in connection with the SL blasts. Ten men from different districts of Kerala are being interrogated. It is found that they have links with the IS sleeper cells involved in recruting for the IS. They are taking the recruits abroad for employment and then take them to the IS camps. NIA has also interrogated few suspects in Kochi, Tamil Nadu.
Reports from Kundara, Kollam, states that one man was taken into custody during the raid. Several places in the districts of Ernaakulam, Palakkat, Kozikode, Kannur and Kasaragode are under the surveillance of Cental Intelligence. Kochi and Chennai units of NIA carried out raids in Velloor, Chennai, Tirunelveli, Madura and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Surveillance has been beefed up in places where migrant labour force lives in good numbers. It is in the light of the rumours that Kashmiris have moved to several pats of the state with forged documents.
Riyas Aboobacker’s Facebook posts suggests that he was heavily influenced by Zakir Naik
The latest developent once again underlines the fact, in bold letters, that Kerala is the safe haven for terrorist outfits. Recently Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated that Kerala was turning a nursery of terrorism. But, immediately CPM leaders came out to oppose him and cried that “PM insulted the state”. It is evident that they cannot tolerate the bitter truths. Few months back CM Pinarayi Vijayan denied the reports that his government had asked the GoK to ban Poular Front. He added that if at all any communal outfit is to be banned it should be the RSS first.
It can be recalled that when PDP supremo Abdul Nasser Madani was jailed in Tamil Nadu in connection with the Coimbatore blasts of 1998, Kerala Assembly had passed an unanimous resolution that he (Madani) should be released. At that time Kerala was under CPM-led LDF rule and E.K. Nayanar was at the helm. Obviously Congress-led UDF gave wholehearted support hence the unanimous resolution. At that time BJP had not openened account in the assembly. Still both Fronts follow the same policy of appeasement towards the minorities. The same time, they make it a point to paint RSS and Hindu movements as communal bodies. Naturally it boosts the morale of terrorist groups the effect of which we witness today.
