BENGALURU: A software engineer was arrested by the Internal Security Division (ISD) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) early from Thanisandra early on Saturday for suspected links with the terror groups ISIS and Al-Qaida.
Arif alias Mohammed Arif, who hails from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, was residing in Manjunath Nagar in Thanisandra. He had allegedly planned to travel to Syria via Iran, but after the earthquake struck Syria, he had put off his plans.
According to the security agencies, Arif was in touch with Al-Qaida members for the last two years and was planning to go to Syria in March. He was working from home for a software company and was in touch with the terror groups on Telegram and the dark net. He had earlier tried to enter Syria through Iraq, but could not.
Arif was earlier drawn towards ISIS, but after the Taliban returned to power, he became more inclined towards Al-Qaida and the Taliban. He had created fake accounts and used to post messages in favour of the terror groups on Twitter, but his accounts got blocked.
Arif was planning to vacate his rented house on Monday and return to Aligarh. From there, he had planned to leave behind his wife and two children and head for Syria. The ISD and NIA have seized his laptop and two hard disks and are conducting further investigations.
“The police acted on definite information and took Mohammed Arif into custody. He was involved with fundamentalist organisations and terror groups. His interrogation is continuing”, said Home Minister Araga Jnanendra.
Sultana, a neighbour, said Arif never ventured out and always stayed home. He never interacted with anyone in the locality, she said.