KOZHIKODE: Cops have zeroed in on a group of youth who propagate Islamic State (IS) ideology through social media in Kerala. The youth were among the 35 who had religious training at a Salafi centre in Yemen. “They are following Dammaj Salafism, the extreme kind of Salafism which has no base in Kerala. The youth who returned from Yemen are propagating the ideals through social media in Malayalam,” said an investigating officer who requested anonymity.
Police has definite clues about two Kannur-based Salafi preachers who explicitly advocated for Jihad and migration to the Caliphate. The youth are educated and are targeting a new generation to the IS ideology. Police has also found that these youth has links with a few among the 21 missing people who are suspected to have joined IS.
Meanwhile, Yasmin Ahamed, 29, the accused in the missing case, had told the NIA that as many as 50 youth were indoctrinated in the state. The Bihar native woman was arrested in New Delhi airport while trying to board flight to Kabul with her 4-year-old son. Police says that she is the second wife of Abdul Rashid Abdulla, the Thrikaripur native indoctrinator who is believed to be the mastermind of the IS link.
