Islamist extremism related Incidents in Kerala since 2008

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Date

Place/ District

Incident

Two suspected Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) cadres, identified as Shibili and Hafeez Hussain, who were arrested for reportedly attending a secret training camp held by the outfit in 2007, were remanded to a 15-day judicial custody. About 40 cases were pending against the duo in various parts of the country, including in Gujarat, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Malegaon in Maharashtra. Nearly 40 SIMI cadres had participated in the camp for about three days, the Police mentioned, adding that till date, ten cadres were arrested in this connection.

March 30

Thiruvananthapuram

E. T. Zainudheen alias Abdul Sattar, who was a key operative in the suspected terrorist network having links with the LeT, was sent to the Police's SIT custody till April 13 for interrogation in connection with the ongoing investigation into the operations of terrorist recruitment modules in the State.

May 7

Thiruvananthapuram

Sarfras Navas alias Hakim, an accused in the suspected operation of terror modules in Kerala, was remanded till May 19. He will be in Police custody till May 18 for interrogation, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate V.K. Rajan ordered.

4

March 17

Kannur and Ernakulam

185 people from Kerala were reportedly selected by the LeT and provided preliminary training at camps conducted in various centres. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the terror link to Kerala obtained this information from three Kashmiri youngsters, identified as Fiyaz Ahammed (26), Sajad Ahammed Reshi alias Hanzulla and Shabbir Ahammed Tali alias Abu Saquib (20). These three youngsters took part in the terror camp organised by the LeT in Kupwara and Dorusa forest areas in Kashmir during October 2008, along with a five-member team from Kerala. The Lashkar camp had 17 members, including seven Pakistanis and three Kashmiris. Yasin, Fayaz, Shakeer alias Rahim and Fayiz who were killed in encounters with the Police in Kashmir and Abdul Jabbar, who had escaped the scene, constituted the militants’ team sent from Kerala to Kashmir. "The Malayalis joined the camp in the second week of September. Shakeer alias Rahim was their leader. He could speak Urdu," said Fiaz Ahammed. Shabbir Ahammed Tali told the Police that 180 more youngsters were waiting in Kerala after the preliminary training to join the Jihad. "One Ustad had indoctrinated them," said Tali.

5

March 30

Thiruvananthapuram

E. T. Zainudheen alias Abdul Sattar, who was a key operative in the suspected terrorist network having links with the LeT, was sent to the Police's SIT custody till April 13 for interrogation in connection with the ongoing investigation into the operations of terrorist recruitment modules in the State.

6

May 7

Thiruvananthapuram

Sarfras Navas alias Hakim, an accused in the suspected operation of terror modules in Kerala, was remanded till May 19. He will be in Police custody till May 18 for interrogation, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate V.K. Rajan ordered.

7

May 13

Thiruvananthapuram

The ATS of the Kerala Police questioned the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Abdul Nazer Madhani for several hours, in connection with his terrorism linkages. Madhani is suspected to have links with the LeT militants. According to unnamed sources, the Police questioned Madhani based on the confessions of Sarfras Nawas and Sainudheen, who were arrested in connection with the July 26, 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blasts case. Nawas had told the Karnataka Police that he had met Madhani in his residence at Kollam a few months after the PDP leader was released from Coimbatore jail, where he had been housed as an under trial in the Coimbatore bomb blast case.

8

July 22

Kannur

The Kerala Police arrested a suspected terrorist, identified as Mohammed Abdul Haleem, for his involvement in the July 2008 Bangalore serial bomb blasts and a series of low-intensity blasts in Kerala in the last decade. Police said he was associated with the ultra-Islamic Noorish Tariquat based in Hyderabad and received terror training there. Meanwhile, the Kochi Police commissioner Manoj Abraham said that the vehicle used to plant bombs in Bangalore was the one stolen by Haleem from Aluva in Ernakulam.

9

August 30

Thiruvananthapuram

The Kerala Police arrested a suspected militant, identified as Kabir, a resident of Rippon in the Wayanad District, who had a lookout notice issued against him by the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Unconfirmed reports said the IB suspects him of being involved in terrorist attacks, including the Bangalore serial bomb blasts in July 25, 2008.

10

December 17

Kochi

Soofiya Madani, wife of PDP leader Abdul Nasser Madani, was arrested from her residence in Kochi shortly after the Kerala High Court dismissed her anticipatory bail application in connection with the burning of a Tamil Nadu bus in the State in September 2005.

Sl. No.

Date

Place/ District

Incident

1

January 6

Kumili, Idukki

Police arrested a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militant, Altaf Ahmed, a 29-year old native of Jammu and Kashmir. Assistant Superintendent of Police Vikramjith Singh said that he was involved in various crimes against the state. He had reportedly applied for a passport in Idukki and the Kerala Police had sent his documents to their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir for verification when his identity came to light, police said adding the accused got training from Pakistan.

October 6

Thrissur

The Kerala police arrested two persons for their suspected links with the banned SIMI. Abdul Hakeem (22) from Azheekal in Guruvayur and Shameer (29) from Karukapadathu were arrested on information that the duo attended a clandestine meeting of SIMI activists at Panayikulam on August 15, 2006. The police had taken 18 persons into custody. Five of them were arrested and the others released for lack of evidence. Shibili and Ansar, who were among those arrested from Panayikulam and later released on bail, were again arrested from Indore in Madhya Pradesh with firearms in their possession. They were produced before the Paravoor Judicial First Class Magistrate who remanded them to judicial custody till October 21.

October 21

Thrissur

Thrissur Police arrested two SIMI cadres from Kodungallur. The two cadres, identified as Nisar and Asghar, reportedly participated in a SIMI camp at Panayikulam on August 15, 2006.

November 9

Kannur

Kerala police has arrested one suspected militant, identified as Mohammed Nainar, from the District Hospital area. He was accused of supporting terrorist activities and motivating a local youth Mohamad Fayaz, who was killed in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir in October 2008. He was reportedly also associated with a network that is involved in recruiting cadres for Kashmir-based militant groups.

November 22

Kasargod

Two youths suspected to have links with Islamist extremist activities were arrested by the Kerala Police from Kanhangad. They were identified as Firose, a trader on the railway station road, and his relative Shakeeb.

December 2

Thrissur

A four-member squad of District police arrested two National Development Front cadres, identified as Pappali Thechalveettil Naushad and Thekkekattil Majeed, at Mangalamkunnu.

December 20

Kannur

The Police arrested a militant, identified as Sheneej, from Anayidukku for suspected links to a gang recruiting cadres from Kerala for terrorist outfits in Jammu and Kashmir. Police suspected that Sheneej had a close association with persons from Kerala having links with the Jammu and Kashmir-based terrorist outfits, Deputy Superintendent of Police, V. K. Akbar, said. Sheneej was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Thalassery on the same day and remanded to judicial custody till January 3, 2009.