Handler of ISIS suspects arrested in Gujarat arrested, major action by Sri Lankan police
Authorities say they will not take any chances on potential ISIS activity on the island following the 2019 Easter Sunday attack, which killed more than 270 people. The investigation is focused on whether the local jihadist group that carried out the attack had links to ISIS at the time.
Sri Lanka Police. (Symbolic)
Sri Lankan police have arrested the suspected handler of four of their citizens who were recently arrested at Ahmedabad airport in India on charges of alleged links with the banned Islamic State (ISIS) organization. The Criminal Investigation Department arrested 46-year-old Pushparaj Usman in Colombo on Friday.
Sri Lankan police recently announced a cash reward of 2 million for any credible information about his whereabouts. The police released a notice and a video of him seeking information from the public.
CID arrested
Police said the CID arrested him and he is believed to have contacted the four people arrested at Ahmedabad airport over the telephone. Gujarat ATS arrested four Sri Lankans with links to ISIS at Ahmedabad airport. The four men took an IndiGo flight from Colombo to Chennai on May 19.
Investigation into links to ISIS
Commenting on the investigation so far, police spokesperson Nihal Thaldua said the police were yet to verify whether the four were linked to ISIS. He said whether they had promoted ISIS ideology in Sri Lanka was yet to be established. Last month, Sri Lankan authorities launched a high-level operation to investigate four Sri Lankans arrested in Gujarat.
More than 270 people died
Authorities say they will not take any chances on potential ISIS activity on the island following the 2019 Easter Sunday attack, which killed more than 270 people. The investigation is focused on whether the local jihadist group that carried out the attack had links to ISIS at the time.
Murder of a High Court judge
Of the persons arrested in Gujarat, Mohammed Nusrat is a businessman involved in the import of telecommunication equipment and electrical equipment from countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Dubai. Nusrat operated within Colombo, where he sold these imported goods. The arrested Mohammed Nafran has been identified as the son of the first wife of notorious underworld criminal Niyas Naufar alias Potta Naufar, who was sentenced to death for the murder of High Court judge Sarath Ambepitiya.
The other two Sri Lankans are Mohammed Faris and Mohammed Rasheedhin from Maligawatte, Colombo. Mohammed Faris worked as a 'nattamami' or cart puller in Pettah and was arrested in Colombo on March 11, 2023, and November 1 of the same year. On May 21, his close associate Hameed Ameer was arrested by the TID. Mohammed Faris left for Chennai on May 19.
Smuggling crystal meth or ICE
The second suspect is three-wheeler driver Mohammed Rashdeen. Security forces suspect he is involved in the smuggling of crystal meth or ICE. On September 16, 2022, Rashdeen was arrested by the Foreshore Police and later released on bail.