Bengaluru: A 33-year-old Filipino woman - Karen Aisha Hamidon Abuan @ Karen Aisha Al Muslimah @ Karen Aisha Hamidon was reportedly the online head hunter of the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria (ISIS) until her arrest in October 2017 in Philippines on charges of inciting a rebellion. Karen had allegedly recruited some Indians including three men - Mohammed Sirajuddin from Kalburagi and Adnan Hasan from Bhatkal in Karnataka and Mohammed Naser from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, who were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) between 2015 and 2016 and have subsequently been chargesheeted.
During the investigation of the ISIS related cases, which were registered in 2015 and 2016 the NIA learnt that Sirajuddin, Adnan and Naser were radicalized online by Karen on messaging applications - Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram.
Karen was also reportedly in contact with many other Indians on these online platforms. “The interrogation of Sirajuddin, Adnan and Naser and the data that the NIA had retrieved from their digital devices had revealed that they were in touch with Karen. She is a resident of MB-13 Unit-105 BCDA, Pamayanang Diego Shilang Village Barangay Ususan, C-5 Road Taguig City, 1639 Metro Manila. She used to communicate with her recruits from India and other countries on her mobile numbers +639300183542 and +639165017304 besides Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram for motivating, radicalizing and instigating them to fight on behalf of ISIS in conflict zones,” said Inspector General of Police and NIA spokesperson Alok Mittal.
The NIA sought assistance from Philippines through diplomatic channels to collect evidence against the accused and also to ascertain Karen’s role in the crime in the NIA cases - RC-04/2016/NIA/DLI and RC-05/2016/NIA/DLI following which, two NIA officers visited Manila on April 24 and questioned Karen.
“Her interrogation revealed several facts and also provided significant leads about her associates in India, who were active online, to propagate the ideology of the ISIS and also about a few Indians residing abroad who have helped her financially. The leads obtained are being investigated,” said Mittal.
