- Several online radicalisation attempts stopped by Indian security agencies
- The youth in Jammu were targeted via social media handles for 48 hours
- The handlers sent propaganda content to indoctrinate potential recruits
An online radicalisation attempt from across the border was thwarted by security agencies amid a probe into a terror module linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad in connection with the Delhi blast.
During the last 48 hours, several social media handles and phone numbers tried to target youngsters in Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, and Kishtwar districts of Jammu, according to exclusive details accessed by NDTV.
These handles and numbers were from Pakistan, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and Dubai. The Indian agencies detected and blocked those, officials said.
How Targets Were Identified
The terror handlers monitored social media to zero in on their potential recruits. They looked for youngsters with some inclination towards religious extremism or having an extremist tendency. When convinced, they first send religious materials to them and then start pushing propaganda content to indoctrinate them, officials said.
The modus operandi, however, failed. The security agencies had been keeping an eye on social media ever since busting the white collar terror module of Jaish-e-Mohammad, which involved recruiting professionals like doctors to avoid unwanted security glare.
A few days back, two radical social media handles were identified as being run by two minors. These handles were operated under the guidance and direction of Pakistani handler Ahmad Salar, alias Saqib, a Pakistan-based propagandist linked to The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group.
Read: Weeks Before Delhi Blast, Pulwama Conspirator's Wife Joined Jaish Outfit
Salar exploited social media to manipulate the vulnerable youth through ideological grooming, false promises, and glorification of terror activity, said officials.
Focus On Recruitment
The Jaish-e-Mohammad is also believed to be targeting potential recruits for its women's brigade, Jamaat-ul-Mominat. The arrest of Shaheen Saeed, who is from Lucknow, in the Delhi blast case and her links to the suicide bomber and other suspects illustrate the deep terror designs and the reach of the outfit.
The women's brigade is helmed by Jaish chief Masood Azhar's sister Sadia Azhar. Sadia and another sister, Samaira, are tasked with an online training-cum-recruitment drive to bring in members into their fold.
