India alert to ISIS threat, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh

NEW DELHI: India is alert to the threat posed by the Islamic State (ISIS), Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday,a day after his ministry warned of a possible attack in the country by the terror group whose gunmen killed nearly 130 people in Paris last Friday."ISIS is not a threat for any particular country, but for the entire world. India is alert about ISIS," Rajnath told reporters in New Delhi.The Indian security establishment suggests that around 20-odd Indians are currently fighting for ISIS in Iraq-Syria. They include two youths from Kalyan in the outskirts of Mumbai, an Australia-based Kashmiri, a man from Telangana, one from Karnataka, one Oman-based Indian and a Singapore-based Indian."Though the ISIS has not been able to establish any significant presence in India, its success in radicalizing some youth, attracting certain sections of the local population or the Indian diaspora to physically participate in its activities or the possibility of piggy-backing on terrorist groups operating in India have opened up the possibility of ISIS-sponsored terrorist action on Indian territory," an advisory issued by the home ministry on Monday said.Last year, a youth from Kalyan had returned home after spending about six-months with ISIS. He was arrested upon his arrival in Mumbai. Among the six Indians who fought alongside ISIS and were killed were three Indian Mujahideen , including Sultan Ajmer Shah and Bada Sajid, who joined its ranks after being in Pakistan, two men from Maharashtra and one from Telangana.On September 15, the UAE deported four Indians suspected of having



links with ISIS. That same month, the UAE also sent back a 37-year-old woman Afsha Jabeen, alias Nicky Joseph, who was allegedly involving in recruiting men for ISIS.In January, Salman Mohiuddin was arrested at Hyderabad airport when he was preparing to board a flight to Dubai on his way to Syria via Turkey. So far, 17 young men, mostly from Telangana, have been prevented from travelling to Syria, ostensibly to join ISIS."Available inputs about ISIS activities should be immediately reviewed to identify plans, targets areas vulnerable to attack by ISIS and appropriate action is taken to neutralise potential threat if any," the advisory said. The government has also decided to review security at the embassies and other offices belonging to the governments of France, US, UK, Germany, Russia, Australia, Turkey and Israel.The home ministry said that the recent multiple terror attacks in Paris clearly indicate the intention of the outfit to expand the area of terror targets beyond the Iraq and Syria. "It is necessary that the security establishment is kept on high alert to prevent any untoward incident," the advisory sent on Monday said.A series of terror attacks in Paris targeting concert-goers, soccer fans and people enjoying a Friday night out at popular nightspots killed 129 people. At least two explosions took place near the Stade de France national stadium where a France-Germany friendly soccer match was being played that was being attended by President Francois Hollande. After the attacks, Hollande declared a state of emergency and announced that he was closing the country's borders.