Cops confirm Kerala link of four terrorists

NEW DELHI: In what vindicates recent reports about Kerala becoming a new recruitment ground for jihadi terror, police has confirmed that the four militants killed in a recent encounter in Jammu and Kashmir���s Kupwara were from the southern state. According to police sources, two of the dead militants have been identified as Abdul Faiz from Kannur and Muhammad Yasir, alias Verghese Joseph of Kochi, who converted to Islam about a year back.

Two weeks ago, investigators had established the identities of Mohammad Fayas from Kannur and Abdul Rahim from Malappuram, the other militants from Kerala killed in the encounter. The identities of the two others were confirmed in a report submitted by a superintendent of police in Kerala to Jammu and Kashmir police, following reports that all the four killed youths recruited by militants were from Kerala. Police suspect that one of the militants��� associate, also hailing from Kerala, might have escaped during the encounter. Reports from Kerala said a search was on in northern part of the state to nab him.

The signs of Kerala���s links in the LeT module surfaced when religious literature in Malayalam was found from the body
of those killed.

Kerala has been on the investigators��� map for the past few months. The terrorists, who were responsible for attacks in various Indian cities, were trained in camps at Beenamipuram in Eranakulam and Vagamon���s Thangalpara.

Reports from Kochi said the police on Sunday arrested Faisal, who is suspected to be a vital link in a network for identifying, recruiting and sending youths from Kerala for terrorist activities outside the state. The police team came to know about the key role of Faisal in enrolling potential ultras after the arrest of one Abdul Jaleel from Kannur last week.

Meanwhile, another report from Kochi said parents of two youths killed in the encounters have virtually denounced their sons for their alleged extremist links and anti-national activities. While the mother of one of them came out with strong words against the anti-national activities in which his son was allegedly involved, the father of the other told the police that his family did not want to claim the body of his son killed in Kupwara area earlierthis month.

The Left government in Kerala has said that it will take firm steps against fundamentalist terror. The government has been maintaining that jihadi terrorism has the active support of the NDF, an organisation based in northern Kerala. The state police considers the NDF as the main force behind the increase in Muslim radicalism in the state. Recently, the group has been behind the campaigns against school uniforms, singing Vande Mataram in schools and lighting of
traditional lamps.