NIA Arrests Eight ISIS-Affiliated Terrorists Of Ballari Module From Four States, Thwarts Planned IED Blasts

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) launched a pre-dawn operation against ISIS on Monday (18 December), conducting raids at 19 sites spread across four states.

Eight members of the prohibited terrorist group's Ballari module were apprehended, including its leader, Minaz, also known as Mohammed Sulaiman. This action successfully thwarted the accused's intended terrorist activities, particularly planned IED explosions.

Teams from NIA conducted raids at 19 different sites located in various regions including Ballari and Bengaluru in Karnataka; Amaravati, Mumbai, and Pune in Maharashtra; Jamshedpur and Bokaro in Jharkhand; along with Delhi.

According to Hindustan Times, the eight individuals affiliated with ISIS, who were apprehended in the raids, were directly engaged in endorsing terrorism and activities associated with the banned organisation, ISIS. Their operations were conducted under the guidance of their leader, Minaz.

The operations also resulted in the confiscation of explosive substances, including sulphur, potassium nitrate, charcoal, gunpowder, sugar, and ethanol. Additionally, sharp weapons, untracked money, damning documents, and digital devices like smartphones were also seized.

The individuals apprehended are Minaj and Syed Sameer, hailing from Ballari; Anas Iqbal Shaikh of Mumbai; Mohammad Muniruddin, Syid Samiullah, also known as Sami, and Md Muzammil, all from Bengaluru; Shayan Rahman, also known as Hussain, from Delhi; and Mohammad Shahbaz, also known as Zulfikar and Guddu, from Jamshedpur.