Assam: IIT-Guwahati student detained for pledging allegiance to ISIS
Guwahati: An IIT-Guwahati student was detained on Saturday after expressing support for ISIS online and disappearing from campus.
The fourth-year Biotechnology student, reportedly wrote an open letter on LinkedIn declaring his allegiance to the terror group.
This incident follows the recent arrest of Haris Farooqi, the alleged head of ISIS India, in Assam's Dhubri district.
According to police sources, concerns were raised after emails and social media posts expressing his desire to join ISIS. A lookout alert was issued after he wrote a public letter on LinkedIn explaining his decision.
He was later found and detained in Hajo, around 30 km from Guwahati, for questioning.
IIT-Guwahati authorities confirmed that he had been missing since noon and his phone was unreachable. Assam Police Director-General GP Singh tweeted that the student was apprehended while traveling and would face legal proceedings.
Police launched an investigation after receiving an email from the student claiming he was on his way to join ISIS. A search of his hostel room yielded a black flag resembling the ISIS flag and an Islamic religious text. Sources also described the student as a loner with no close friends on campus.
The student's case coincides with the arrest of Haris Farooqi, believed to be the leader of ISIS India. Farooqi, along with associates including Anurag Singh (alias Rehan), was nabbed by Assam police on Wednesday.
Farooqi, reportedly active since 2019, is suspected of radicalizing Indians while hiding in Bangladesh. He is accused of establishing ISIS modules in several Indian states.