NIA fails ISIS bid to attempt Sri Lanka like suicide blast in Kerala

New Delhi : The NIA on Monday arrested Riyas Aboobacker for allegedly being in touch with some of the Islamic State operatives who were planning Sri Lanka like suicide bombing in Kerala.

During the interrogation, Aboobacker said that he had been following speeches and videos of Sri Lankan bomber Zahran Hashim for over an year, besides the speeches of Salafi preacher Zakir Naik. 

He also accepted that he was in online contact with absconding accused Abdul Rashid Abdulla alias Abu Isa for a long time; he was also following his audio clips. He told interrogators that he had online chats with Abdul Khayoom alias Abu Khalid, an accused in Valapattanam IS case who was believed to be in Syria. 

Earlier, the NIA has seized the computers containing videos of Hashim's jihad-inspiring speeches during raids at premises of six accused in the IS Coimbatore module case. The plan was to attack Hindu leaders in Tamil Nadu.

Riyas Aboobacker will be produced before the NIA court on Tuesday in Kochi.