Bengaluru’s NIA special court delivered justice on April 21, handing down a six-year rigorous imprisonment sentence to Arafat Ali, the third conspirator in the Shivamogga ISIS plot that shocked Karnataka in 2022. The verdict highlights the agency’s success in penetrating a dangerous radicalization network.
Ali’s arrest came dramatically in September 2023 at New Delhi’s airport after he returned from abroad, where he had escaped in early 2020. NIA probes established him as a key ISIS operative in India, tasked with spreading jihadist ideology, enlisting recruits for the local module, and orchestrating hate-filled graffiti campaigns in Mangaluru to spark religious tensions and unrest.
Further revelations showed Ali’s role as a crypto-funded handler, channeling money from overseas ISIS contacts to his accomplices. This financial lifeline enabled planning of violent acts aimed at communal strife. The case originated from police action against provocative wall writings glorifying terror groups like LeT alongside ISIS.
Two prior convicts in the same module were sentenced to six years each last November. NIA’s chargesheet names 12 accused, with three now behind bars while nine await judgment. The operation has busted recruitment drives targeting impressionable youth.
As India battles evolving terror threats, this conviction reinforces judicial resolve. It spotlights the perils of online extremism and anonymous funding, urging enhanced cyber surveillance and community awareness programs to prevent future modules from taking root.
