As per the Islamic terrorist organisation Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the first Indian suicide bomber for them was a Keralite who converted from Christianity to Islam. The Islamic State revealed this in their propaganda magazine Voice of Khorasan. Following the claimed admission by the terrorist organisation, Indian central intelligence agencies have launched an investigation into the matter.
The suicide bomber is mentioned in the magazine’s (Voice of Koharasan) newest issue’s chapter “Memories of Shuhada,” which is a section dedicated to the memories of those who died fighting for ISIS. The identity of the Kerala terrorist was not mentioned in the story. According to the report, the suicide bomber was given the name “Abu Bakr Al-Hindi” and became interested in Islam in the UAE.
According to the magazine, after his conversion, Abu Bakr became interested in Jihadi philosophy and contacted ISIS sleeper cells in Dubai. He had planned to fly to Yemen for more instruction but was unable to do so, so he returned to his native state of Kerala. After spending some time in Kerala, he received word from his ISIS handlers that there was a chance in Libya, so he went there under the pretext of trying to find a new job. According to the report, he waged Jihad against the Libyan Army in Sirsit, ISIS’s stronghold, before turning into a suicide bomber and blowing himself up.
OpIndia recently reported on the Kerala engineer operating under the alias Abu Bakr. Abu’s repeated attempts to migrate to an IS-controlled area in Yemen failed due to logistical issues. Still, the opportunity to join the Libyan module ultimately came up with the support of his Gulf connections.
Abu received military training in Sirte after arriving in Libya. The current issue of the magazine mentions, “Brother Abu Bakr joined operation istishhadi (suicide attack). When the apostates reached gate 40, he was selected and carried out istishhadi operation on the murtaddin and attained martyrdom.”
In March of this year, OpIndia reported that ISKP showcased another engineering student from Kerala in their publication Voice of Khorasan. In a report about his death, the Indian fighter was identified only by his assumed name, Najeeb Al Hindi, and he was described as a 23-year-old “engineering (M.Tech) student from Kerala.” The article had no more information on Najeeb, nor did it state when he died or the circumstances surrounding his death.
According to the ISKP publication, Najeeb only wanted to fight for the Islamic State and did not want to marry, but under the influence of friends, he married another jihadi girl from a Pakistani family. The ISKP propaganda journal linked Najeeb to Prophet Mohammad’s companion Hanzala Ibn Abi Mair, who was murdered in a fight on his wedding night.
As early as 2014, ISIS established roots in Kerala, with modules encouraging religious conversions and aiming to attract professionals to join its troops in Afghanistan and Syria. Plenty of Kerala men and women are said to have joined the ISKP in recent years.
The United Nations warned in its 2020 terrorism report that there are a substantial number of ISIS terrorists in the Indian state of Kerala, stating that the ISIL Indian affiliate (Hind Wilayah), which was declared on May 10, 2019, has around 200 members.
Furthermore, a National Investigation Agency’s chargesheet filed in July 2020 in connection with the murder of Special Sub Inspector Wilson revealed a strong association between ISIS terrorists active and growing in the state.
The NIA is currently investigating cases related to IS operating recruitment centres in Kerala. Several non-Muslim women have also been radicalised and converted in the last few years and have been sent to Afghanistan and Syria to fight for the Islamic State.