NIA files additional chargesheet against 7 people, Arabic edu assn

Chennai/Coimbatore: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against seven individuals and the Kovai Arabic Educational Association (KAEA) in Coimbatore for allegedly radicalising vulnerable youth in Tamil Nadu through online Arabic language classes.The supplementary chargesheet pertains to the 2023 TN ISIS radicalisation and recruitment case, which stemmed from the Oct 22, 2022, Coimbatore car bomb blast. Fourteen of the 18 accused in the blast case, including the perpetrator Jameesha Mubin, were students of Kovai Arabic College, which functioned under the KAEA.According to the NIA, its investigation revealed that radical sermons were disseminated through online Arabic classes conducted by KAEA via platforms such as Zoom, WhatsApp, and Telegram, as well as through regular classroom sessions where live or pre-recorded lectures by the alleged mastermind Jameel Basha, principal of the Arabic College, were broadcast. Those named in the supplementary chargesheet are Mohammed Hussain, Irshath, Ahmed Ali, Aboo Hanifa, Jawahar Sadiq, Sheik Dawood, and Raja Mohammed, all former students of Jameel Basha. The KAEA is also arraigned as an accused and charged as a legal person.In Feb, 2024, the NIA conducted searches at 21 locations in TN and seized 34 SIM cards, six SD cards, and three hard disks, and arrested Maulvi Hussain Faizy alias Mohammed Faizy from Ponvizha Nagar at Ukkadam, Syed Abdur Rahman Umari from Pollachi, and Jameel Basha Umari from Chennai. Jameel Basha was the principal of the KAEA and alleged mastermind. Mohammed Hussain was the lead faculty of Kovai Arabic College, and Irshath was the treasurer of KAEA and lead faculty. They were chargesheeted by the NIA earlier.M Abdul Hakeem, secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), Coimbatore unit, stated, "We are closely monitoring the Muslim youth in Coimbatore to prevent them from falling prey to radicalization. There were allegations that some of the youth watched videos of Jameel Basha, but the agency has also arrested innocent students. If anything bad happens in the city, we will be severely affected. We are very much aware of the situation, and we believe that the Central govt is using the agency against minorities."

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