(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – At least three Islamic State suspects arrested in India in 2015 and 2017 were in contact with an online entity called Aadhil AX from Sri Lanka who could be software engineer Aadhil Ameez, arrested last month in Colombo for providing technical and logistical support to the bombers in the April 21 Easter terror attack that killed more than 250 people.
WhatsApp contact
According to a Reuters report, Aadhil was monitored by Indian intelligence agencies three years ago for links with Islamic State suspects.
Two IS suspects, Ubed Mirza and Kasim Stimberwala, arrested by the Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad in 2017 were allegedly in touch with Aadhil through WhatsApp.
Both Stimberwala and Ubed are in judicial custody in Surat and have been charge sheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which accused them of plotting a lone wolf attack in Ahmedabad. Ubed is a lawyer while Stimberwala is a medicial technician and both were arrested by Gujarat’s ATS.
As per the charge sheet filed by the NIA, Ubed, in 2017, had a Whatsapp chat with one Aadhil but ATS officials said did not find any other actionable intelligence.
“Except a few chats on social media, no other material or connection or link has been found,” said a Gujarat police official said.
A source said another IS suspect, Mohammad Naser, deported from Sudan in 2015 was also in online contact with Aadhil AX from Sri Lanka.
It is not clear if the Indian authorities shared the information with the Sri Lankan authorities.
