Shivamogga ISIS conspiracy case: NIA chargesheets 1 more accused, adds additional charges against 2 others

New Delhi [India], March 8 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) charge-sheeted one more accused while filing additional charges against two others, in the Shivamogga ISIS conspiracy case, relating to the writing of graffiti in Mangaluru supporting the proscribed terrorist outfits, Islamic State (IS), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Taliban, the agency said in a statement on Friday.
In its second supplementary chargesheet filed in the case, NIA has charged Arafath Ali and filed additional charges against Mohammed Shariq and Maaz Muneer Ahmed in the case, the statement said.
Arafath, who had radicalised and hired the other accused for writing the graffiti in January 2020, was arrested by the NIA at T3 International Airport, New Delhi, on return from Kenya on September 14, 2023. He had earlier fled to Dubai in anticipation of his arrest in another case (the Al-Hind module case) for his association with two absconding accused, Abdul Matheen Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazeb.
NIA investigation has revealed that it was on instructions from Abdul Matheen and Mussavir Hussain that Arafath had indoctrinated Mohamed Shariq, Maaz Muneer Ahmed and others to write graffiti in support of terror and terror outfits at two places in Mangaluru.
As per the statement, it was further found that Arafath, along with his associates and online handler, was part of a larger conspiracy to further the terror activities of IS/ISIS. Arafat had paid the graffiti writers with funds received from his online handler in the form of crypto-currencies.
NIA had earlier filed one main and one supplementary chargesheet against nine accused, including Mohammed Shariq and Maaz Muneer Ahmed.
Further investigations in the case are underway, the statement added.