Chennai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charge sheeted another accused in the Tamil Nadu Hizb ut Tahrir (HuT) conspiracy case.
The agency has filed a chargesheet against Aziz Ahamed @ Aziz Ahmed @ Jaleel Aziz Ahmed in the NIA Special Court, Poonamallee (Chennai), under various sections of IPC and the UA(P) Act. The case RC-01/2024/NIA/CHE relates to the criminal conspiracy by the banned HuT terror organisation to propagate its anti-India ideology and enforce its founder Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani’s constitution in the country.
As per the NIA Investigation, Aziz was part of the controversy which involved recruitment of daris/students to secret classes of the organisation, followed by their radicalisation. Along with other accused and HuT members, he was working to establish an Islamic caliphate in India with military assistance (Nusra) from forces inimical to the nation.
NIA is continuing with its investigation into the case.
According to NIA sources, the arrests were made following confessions from individuals previously detained in the case. Investigations revealed that both Kabeer and Bava were deeply influenced by the extremist ideology of Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
The NIA alleges that the duo organised secret training camps aimed at radicalising young individuals and persuading them to support the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate.
The agency also stated that the accused, along with other HuT activists, had organised an exhibition to display the military power of Islamic nations. This event was allegedly intended to encourage support for an armed overthrow of the Indian government through violent jihad.
The NIA’s crackdown on Hizb-ut-Tahrir began last year after the Greater Chennai City Police arrested six individuals – Hameed Hussain, Ahmad Mansoor, Abdur Rahman, Mohamed Maurice, Khadar Nawaz Sheriff, and Ahmed Ali – for allegedly posting anti-India content on social media.
Following this, the NIA took over the investigation in August and later arrested two more individuals, Aziz Ahamed and Faizul Rahman, the latter being the leader of HuT in Tamil Nadu. The arrested individuals are accused of circulating newsletters and articles advocating the violent cession of Kashmir with military support from Pakistan. These materials were allegedly used to radicalise young individuals in Tamil Nadu and other parts of South India.
Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a fundamentalist, pan-Islamist organisation that seeks to re-establish an Islamic Caliphate. The group follows the ideology of its founder, Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani, and aims to implement a radical constitution promoting Sharia rule worldwide.
The NIA has already filed charges against eight of the arrested individuals, accusing them of holding meetings with religious scholars (ulemas and imams) to recruit Muslim youth and promote violent extremism. The arrests come in the wake of several counterterrorism operations in Tamil Nadu, including the Coimbatore car bomb blast of October 23, 2022.
The explosion, which occurred near the Sangameswar Temple in Kottaimedu on the eve of Deepavali, was a suspected suicide attack carried out by 29-year-old Jamesha Mubin, who was killed in the blast.
The NIA revealed that Mubin had pledged allegiance (bayat) to Abu Al-Hasan Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi, the then-leader of the Islamic State (ISIS). As part of the ongoing probe, the NIA also raided the residence of DMK councillor Mubeera, whose husband was reportedly a classmate of Jamesha Mubin at Kovai Arabic College.
Additionally, the agency had previously arrested Mohammed Talka, the nephew of the late S.A. Basha, founder of the banned terror outfit Al Umma. Basha was one of the key accused in the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts, which killed 56 people and injured over 200.
The NIA has intensified its efforts to dismantle extremist networks in Tamil Nadu and other South Indian states. Officials stated that investigations into the radicalisation of young individuals and HuT’s recruitment activities remain ongoing.
