‘Terrorism classes’: 11 suspects charged for seeking to establish ‘Islamic rule through jihad’ in India

An Indian counter-terrorism unit has named 11 suspects it says were involved in organizing religious courses which called for “jihad” to establish “Islamic rule” in India, carrying out a wave of arrests in the state of Tamil Nadu.

The suspects “conspired and conducted religious classes with the objective of establishing Islamic rule in India, through violent jihad and promoting unlawful activities,” India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The accused were charged with criminal conspiracy for their role in the religious courses, and most have already been taken into custody as part of an ongoing investigation, the agency added.

Dubbed the “Ansarullah case” – or “Supporters of God” in Arabic – the probe was first opened last July, when investigators uncovered a burgeoning terror cell with links to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The cell proselytized a violent message through courses on how to wage “jihad” and create an Islamic “caliphate.” The group was also thought to have collected funds to finance a terror operation in India.

Police raids in both India and the UAE last year led to the arrest of 16 suspects, five of which were thought to have ties to the notorious Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorist outfit. It is unclear whether any of the 11 named in Wednesday’s charge sheet were affiliated with any other known militant groups.

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