This Article is From Nov 27, 2014

Islamic State's Influence in India Must be Nipped in the Bud, Says Mumbai Anti-Terror Chief

Islamic State's Influence in India Must be Nipped in the Bud, Says Mumbai Anti-Terror Chief

Abu Rumaysah, a British citizen of Indian origin, has joined the Islamic State.

Mumbai: A photograph tweeted by a man of Indian-origin who skipped bail in Britain to join the terror group Islamic State in Syria or ISIS has made headlines. He held his newborn son in one hand, an AK-47 in the other, and hailed a "new generation of Islamists."

In India there has been concern over four young men from Maharashtra who headed out for a pilgrimage to Iraq and then allegedly called home to say they had joined the ISIS. There are reports that they now want to return home.

The biggest worry is the spread of the ISIS in India, Himanshu Roy, chief of Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad or ATS has told NDTV.  

"The global picture and the theatre of war has changed. It's now Iraq and Syria. We are seeing this is attracting a lot of youth. They are getting indoctrinated and radicalised even online. There are any number of jihadi chat rooms and their membership is growing. This is our biggest concern," Mr Roy said.  

He said the impact of the ISIS is "only at the initial stage" so far, but warns that it has to be addressed immediately. "I would not call it a very large number. But we do need to nip this in the bud. Because if we are having this conversation five years later and we haven't done anything, I am afraid the picture might be completely different," he said.

Intelligence officials have lately been trying to assess how much support the ISIS is galvanising among youth in various parts of the country, including Kashmir, where ISIS flags and banners appeared in the summer on three different occasions.

Lieutenant General Subrata Saha, a top Army commander posted in Kashmir, had told NDTV recently, the "ISIS has the capacity of attracting youths and that is a concern for us."

Abu Rumaysah, the British citizen of Indian origin who tweeted the menacing picture with his newborn, is a 31-year-old who was born Siddhartha Dhar. He is known in Britain for promoting his radical views on television.

His tweet alongside the photograph read, "He is another great addition to the Islamic State."

Hundreds of people from many countries are believed to have joined the ISIS in the last few months. 
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