UAE detains 11 Indians for planning to join, finance Islamic State

As many as 11 Indian nationals are under detention in the UAE since early August on charges of planning to join the Islamic State (IS) and recruiting, financing and providing logistics to those willing to joining the terror outfit. This is after two Indians hailing from northern Kerala, detained as part of the same group, were deported from the UAE a couple of days ago and landed separately at the Kochi and Karipur (Malappuram) international airports.

According to intelligence sources the UAE security services came across two groups of people hailing from India, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, who were involved in sharing and discussing issues pertaining to IS on social media. They were also reportedly trying to establish online contact with IS leaders. The groups on watch, though dominated by Indians, included a couple of Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals.

Of those detained, eight were in Abu Dhabi and five in Dubai. A Pakistani and a Bangladeshi national were also held. The charges cited for the detentions included recruiting, funding and providing logistics to those interested in being part of IS. According to intelligence reports, the UAE authorities suspect that the 13 Indians were planning to travel, one by one, to Syria, possibly via Yemen or Turkey, and were in the process of organizing funds and logistics.

The identification of 13 new IS recruits of Indian origin adds to the 17 Indians already known to have joined the jihadi outfit. The two persons deported were educated in the UAE and had spent a good part of their lives there. The rising numbers of Indians gravitating towards ISIS will re-ignite the debate on how to deal with those returning after a dalliance with the outfit. The government and the security establishment will have to consider whether to prosecute them or treat them as misguided

youth and de-radicalize them.

Given how seriously the UAE views any attempts by its residents to associate with terror outfits like IS, Indian authorities were worried about the fate of its 13 citizens. Fortunately, two of the detainees, both hailing from Malabar region of Kerala, were deported on Tuesday, ostensibly after being “cleared” by the UAE authorities. New Delhi, however, is awaiting the fate of the 11 Indians still in UAE’s custody. They have not being charged as yet.

“As the 11 are still under investigation, the UAE government has not shared their identities with India. Depending on what they find during the course of their investigations, the Indians in custody could be deported or charged,” an official told TOI.

The government is hoping that only minor charges will be pressed given that the detained Indians were only planning to visit Iraq/Syria but did not actually travel there.

Meanwhile, Kerala Police and Intelligence Bureau officers are speaking to the two deported Keralites to “find more about their alleged online activities relating to IS”. “We are seized of the case but have not detained them yet,” a senior Kerala Police officer told TOI. Though booking them is not a closed option yet, the agencies are debating whether the action should stop at counseling and “tracking” them.

Incidentally, the two Keralites were settled in the UAE for long. “They received their education in the UAE and were working there. Though their pro-IS activity was online, the UAE, given its strict policy against elements sympathizing with terror outfits, may have forced them to leave the country,” said an intelligence official.