An Indian oil executive was arrested in Jaipur on Thursday for allegedly using social media to help Islamic State recruit young people in his home country.
Mohammed Sirajuddin, an official at state-run Indian Oil Corporation, was arrested for allegedly communicating with IS and using social networking sites to help the terrorist group find new members, the Hindustan Times said.
“It was found that the accused was actively involved in IS-related activities through social media including WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram and others. He propagated the cause of IS and urged the Indian youth to join the group. He also has links with some people associated with the IS within and outside India,” additional director general of police Alok Tripathi told the paper.
Sirajuddin’s exact position at the Indian Oil Corporation was not disclosed.
Prior to his arrest, police said they recovered printed copies of Islamic State’s online propaganda magazine belonging to Sirajuddin and also discovered several videos and posts he made that were linked to the terrorist group.
Sirajuddin was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, the Hindustan Times added.
Earlier this year, an Islamic State commander who was believed to have masterminded the 2014 murder of an Apache worker in Egypt was killed by Egyptian security forces.
Aly Ashraf Hassanein al Gharabli served as the commander for a militant group with links to the Islamic State that claimed responsibility for the 2014 murder murder of William Henderson.
