Man who fought for IS in Iraq held: Here is Subahani Haja Moideen's tryst with ISIS

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has put under arrest a resident of Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district a year after he returned from northern Iraq's –Mosul city. The Iraqi city has been occupied by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for more than two years. The 31-year-old Subahani Haja Moideen is suspected to have fought for the dreaded terror group as a foreign fighter and his arrest is likely to serve a fresh insight into the lives of foreign fighters joining the ranks of ISIS.

Moideen claimed that he returned from Mosul where he was being held as a prisoner in a jail managed by the ISIS after he had detracted from the group along with some other foreign fighters. While Moideen has claimed that he and other foreign fighters detracted from ISIS withstanding the "violence and war misery in Mosul", the NIA has said that a year after laying low and working at a gold shop, the 31-year-old was planning to collect explosives at the behest of his handlers.

Moideen, according to the NIA, was summoned to the branch office in Kochi for examination after a search at his native home in Kerala's Idukki district. His name had cropped up in the investigation of a recently busted ISIS module. The agency officials however were taken aback when Moideen told them that he had gone to Iraq in April last year to join ISIS and fight for the organisation.

As per the preliminary examination, he was radicalised and recruited to ISIS by recruiters active over online social media platforms. He left India for Istanbul from on a visit visa. After reaching Istanbul, he crossed over along with others including people from Pakistan and Afghanistan to ISIS held territory in Iraq," said NIA spokesperson Alok Mittal.

According to agency investigators, Moideen told them that he was then taken to Mosul in Iraq, where he underwent detailed course in Shariya followed by combat training. "Moideen was sent to to the war zone in Mosul for security duties in ISIS held territory, which he performed for almost two-weeks," the spokesperson said adding that the job assignment was given to him after his completion of combat training including training in the automated weapons.

"He was being paid USD 100 per month as subsistence allowance by the ISIS along with common available accommodation and food without any additional charges," said NIA.

Imprisoned by ISIS

On conveying his decision to quit the organisation, he was imprisoned by ISIS at Mosul and was subjected to extreme torture. He along with other similar deserting foreign fighters, was produced before a judge of the ISIS, following which he was again incarcerated at Raqqa in Syria. Later, for reasons yet to be ascertained, he was allowed to leave ISIS controlled territory and return to Turkey along with five other foreign nationals where he stayed illegally in Istanbul for about two weeks, before approaching the Indian Consulate, for returning to India. Sources said that Moideen had told the consulate that he had lost his passport.

The agency believes that Moideen's family sent him money for flight tickets to India after he contacted them and conveyed his decision to return home . The NIA said that Turkish Police issued a clearance certificate to Moideen followed an Emergency Certificate issued by Indian Consulate. He returned to India through Mumbai on 22nd September, 2015 and went to his ancestral place in Kadaynallur, Tirunelveli, where he was staying with his wife."He got a job as a salesman in a gold jewelry shop at Kadayanallur. However, once back and settled, he again got in touch with ISIS handlers over internet and was planning to collect explosives and precursor chemicals from Sivakasi at their instance. He had travelled to Chennai, Coimbatore and other places to meet other local contacts in the conspiracy, collect money and procure explosives / precursor chemicals, for terrorist acts, as guided and motivated by the ISIS handlers,"the NIA said.