Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Bengalura, The alleged handler of the Islamic State twitter account was arrested and an FIR is registered under the the Information Technology Act.
According to reports, Mehdi Masroor Biswas is a 24-year old man from West Bengal working for a Bengaluru-based MNC company since 2012
Mehdi particularly close to English-speaking ISIS terrorists, was source of incitement and information for new recruits, Bengaluru Police Commissioner M N Reddi said.
Mehdi arrested under provisions of IPC, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IT Act, he added.
Britain’s Channel 4 News initially reported that “his tweets, written under the name Shami Witness, were seen two million times each month, making him perhaps the most influential Islamic State Twitter account, with over 17,700 followers” making it the most influential IS twitter account.
The account was shut down after the report surfaced.
Bangalore Police Commissioner M N Reddi had said they have asked the crime branch to look into the veracity of the report and were in contact with central agencies like NIA and IB.
“He is with us,” the official told PTI, confirming the arrest of the pro-jihad tweeter.
After the report emerged, security agencies were on the trail of a few suspects.
In a brief interview to Channel 4 “Mehdi” had said, “I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t harmed anybody. I haven’t broken any law…I haven’t raised any war or any violence against the public of India. I haven’t waged war against any allies of India.”
“I want to state clearly that I won’t resist arrest when the time comes. I don’t have any sort of weapons with me,” he had said in the two minute 12 second interview which ends abruptly.
The report had quoted the Twitter account operator as saying that he had not joined IS jihadist ranks in Iraq and Syria because his family was financially dependent on him.
The Shami Witness tweets contained jihadist propaganda as well as information for would-be recruits and messages praising fighters who have been killed as martyrs.
The IS militant group has made extensive use of social media for propaganda and recruitment, as well as for disseminating gory execution videos.
This is not the first time that Karnataka has been linked with global terror.
In 2007, London-based Kafeel Ahmed, a doctorate engineering student from the city, drove an explosive laden truck into Glasgow international airport and died of injuries he received in the attack.
Riaz and Iqbal, brothers from the coastal town of Bhatkal in Karnataka, founded Indian Mujahidden which is blamed for about 21 terror attacks across the country with both remaining elusive.
(With inputs from PTI)
