Four years after his arrest on charges of entering into a conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks in India, a special court here on Monday awarded life imprisonment to Islamic State (IS) terrorist Subahani Haja Mohideen, who was in the war zone in Iraq.

Subahani Haja Mohideen (35) belonged to the Al-Hindi module of the Islamic State. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested him on October 5, 2016 after the seizure of incriminating material from his house in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, which indicated his travel to the theatre of conflict in West Asia.

The special NIA court in Ernakulam sentenced Mohideen to life imprisonment besides slapping a fine of R 2.10 lakh. The court had on last Friday convicted him for criminal conspiracy under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The NIA had registered the case on October 1, 2016 based on credible information that certain youth had entered into a conspiracy and were making preparations to carry out terrorist attacks in India to further the objectives of proscribed terror outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The NIA had carried out searches at Mohideen's residence on October 3, 2016 and recovered incriminating material indicating his travel to West Asia.

Forensic examination of the clothes used by Mohideen during his stay with the Islamic State and the forensic medical examination of his body established that he was in the war zone in Iraq, the NIA said.

"It was also established that Subahani Haja Moideen, after returning to India on September 21, 2015, had attempted to procure explosive chemicals from Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, based on instructions from his handlers in Islamic State, to carry out terrorist attacks in India on behalf of ISIS or."

The probe also revealed that Mohideen had exited Chennai and reached Turkey on April 8, 2015. He had then illegally crossed over to Iraq through the land border and joined the Islamic State using the name Abu Jasmine Al-Hindi.

After undergoing religious and arms training with the Islamic State in Iraq, he was deployed with the outfit's military formation Umar Ibnu Khatab Khatiba, headed by French national Abu Suleiman Al-Francisi, who was later killed.

Mohideen was also associated with Pakistani national Mohammed Usman Ghani. Ghani was subsequently arrested and is now incarcerated in France for his involvement in the November 13 Paris terror attacks of 2015.

(IANS)