ISIS terrorist Subahani Haja Moideen sentenced to life imprisonment

Ernakulam: The NIA special court at Ernakulam sentenced ISIS terrorist Subahani Haja Moideen to life imprisonment on 28 September and slapped a fine of Rs. 2.10 lakh.

Earlier on 25 September, the court had convicted the 35-year-old Mohideen under various sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

On 1 October 2016, the NIA had registered a case based on credible information that a certain youth was making preparations to carry out terrorist attacks in India to further the objectives of the proscribed terrorist organisation the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). On 3 October, searches were conducted at the house of Subahani Haja Moideen in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu which led to the seizure of incriminating material indicating he had travelled to Iraq. He was arrested on 5 October 2016.

A forensic examination of his clothes and his body revealed that he had been to the war zone in Iraq. It was also established that Moideen, after returning to India on 21 September 2015, had attempted to procure explosive chemicals from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu to carry out terrorist attacks in India on behalf of ISIS.

The investigation also revealed that Moideen had left India and reached Turkey on 8 April 2015. He had then illegally crossed over to Iraq and joined the Islamic State using kunya name Abu Jasmine Al-Hindi. After undergoing religious and arms training with ISIS in Iraq, he was deployed with ISIS' military formation Umar Ibnu Khatab Khatiba, headed by the French national Abu Suleiman Al-Francisi, who was later killed.

Moideen was also associated with Pakistani national Mohammed Usman Ghani while he was in the Islamic State. Ghani was subsequently arrested and is now incarcerated in France for his involvement in the 13/11 Paris attacks of 2015.