Special NIA Court convicts 2 IS-linked terror recruiters

Mumbai, Jan 6 A Mumbai Special NIA Court has convicted two IS-linked terror recruiters from Malad suburb for trying to radicalise Muslim youth and instigating them to join IS/ISIL/ISIS extremist groups of West Asia, officials said here on Thursday.

The duo Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed and Rizwan Ahmed was booked by the National Investigation Agency in March 2016 and then conducted a thorough probe into the sensitive case.

The NIA said that the duo was attempting to radicalise vulnerable young Muslims from Malad-Malwani suburb to join the Islamic State, goaded them to travel abroad and become members of the terrorist groups in order to 'wage war' against nations allied with India.

Sayyed and Ahmed also forced them to become fidayeen fighters for the cause of Islam and arranged their passage out of the country to join the IS.

Originally, the Anti Terrorist Squad, Kalachowki had filed the case on December 12, 2015, and later the NIA took over the probe by registering a fresh case in March 2016.

Upon completing its probe, the NIA had filed its charge sheet in July 2016 before the Special NIA Court.

After the trial lasting more than five years, the Special NIA Court on Wednesday found both Sayyed and Ahmed guilty and convicted them.

Both pleaded guilty to the charges against them last month, claimed that they were misled by propaganda, but now wanted to reform and rehabilitate themselves into mainstream society.

The Special NIA Judge A.T. Wankhede has set January 7 (Friday) as the date for pronouncing the quantum of sentence, said the officials.

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