New Delhi, Sep 25
India’s intelligence agencies have launched heightened surveillance on small, secret gatherings across South Indian states following reports that the Islamic State is deploying a micro-group strategy to radicalise local youth.
The Islamic State, which maintains a significant presence in parts of the region, has reportedly succeeded in radicalising a large number of young people.
The group, which has focused considerable attention on southern India, has increasingly adopted a broader radicalisation strategy to influence the mindset of sections of society and create a wider support base for its ideology.
An official said that while online radicalisation efforts are continuing, security agencies are maintaining a close watch on meetings and gatherings being held across southern states, particularly in Tamil Nadu.
“The Islamic State has been focusing heavily on this state (Tamil Nadu), where it has found considerable success since its inception in 2014,” the official said.
An Intelligence Bureau official said those indoctrinated and radicalised by the Islamic State are holding meetings to discuss and propagate the outfit’s ideology.
“The meetings are attended by not more than three to four persons, and this is a deliberate ploy to evade the attention of the security agencies,” the official also said.
The Islamic State wants to replicate its Tamil Nadu playbook in the rest of South India as well. These meetings also discuss ways to set up the Tamil Nadu model in Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
While the outfit does have its presence in all these states, the scale of radicalisation is not much as compared to Tamil Nadu.
Another official said that although the Islamic State's major priority is just radicalisation for the moment, it would be more than welcome if any of the youth take up a lone-actor assignment.
In addition to the expansion plans for South India, these meetings are also intended to discuss possible targets in the state and beyond to be executed by lone actors. The intelligence agencies have learnt that most of the future terror attacks would be executed by lone actors.
They are taking a cue from the Jameesha Mubin incident in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on October 23, 2022. Mubin attempted to carry out a blast using a vehicle near the Sangameshwar Temple in Kottaimedu, Coimbatore. He failed to reach the intended target and was killed when the vehicle exploded.
Officials say that although Mubin was not successful, he had managed to conceal his plans and evade the attention of intelligence agencies.
“Prior to the incident, he was involved in fundraising and was also part of several meetings, all of which went undetected. The actual plan came to light only once the explosion took place,” the official said.
The Enforcement Directorate found that Mubin and his associates had raised funds by running a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate programme. They were also fraudulently collecting donations at the Kovai Arabic College in Coimbatore. The vaccination funds were generated from people who wanted fake certificates without the actual vaccination.
The meetings are similar to those that Mubin was known to attend, an official said. The gatherings are kept small, which helps those involved evade detection. No material, including pamphlets or books, is distributed during these meetings.
According to the official, discussions focus on three key areas: radicalisation, identifying potential targets for lone actors, and spreading the Islamic State’s ideology across South India.
