NIA arrests a suspect in conspiracy connected to Jama'at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh offshoot

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a suspect from West Bengal in connection with a terror conspiracy orchestrated by an offshoot of the proscribed terrorist organisation Jama'at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), the agency said on Sunday.

The agency said it has recovered various digital devices, including mobile phones and memory cards, from the possession of the accused (not named by the agency) during the arrest.

Earlier, on September 29, 13 persons were arrested in the case during raids across Assam, West Bengal and Kerala in connection with the same conspiracy.

A charge sheet has already been filed in the matter on June 25 against 11 persons.

NIA investigation has revealed the involvement of the accused in a conspiracy hatched by Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), an offshoot of JMB, to spread the banned outfit's extremist ideology and expand its terrorist network in West Bengal and the north-eastern states of India.

“The conspiracy involved the radicalisation of vulnerable youth, the propagation of extremist ideology and the recruitment of individuals into the organisation. The investigation has further revealed that Imam Mahmud Habibullah, a senior member of JMB, had established IMK with the objective of promoting the banned organisation's agenda in India,” the agency said in a statement:

The accused allegedly conspired to expand the activities of IMK/JMB through clandestine meetings, religious indoctrination programmes, circulation of extremist literature and misuse of digital platforms, including Telegram, for radicalisation and dissemination of anti-India propaganda.

They also sought to promote allegiance to the leadership of IMK/JMB and strengthen the organisation's network in India, the agency added.