The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad arrested four Sri Lankan Muslims last month, over suspected links to the Islamic State (ISIS) after they travelled to India from Colombo.
According to reports, Indian security services discovered an ISIS flag and three loaded pistols among their belongings.
The four men had taken an Indigo flight out of Colombo to Chennai, before travelling to Ahmedabad. They were reported to have previously been associated with the National Thowheeth Jamath (NJT), an Islamic extremist group in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s defence secretary however claimed the men were “not religious extremists” but “severely addicted to drugs”.
Sri Lanka’s security forces are reported to have kept close links with and fostered Islamic extremist groups, including those that were behind the devastating Easter Sunday attacks in 2019. Parliamentarians and former members of the intelligence services have all claimed there were links between the NTJ and the Sri Lankan security establishment.
Acting on information from the Indian authorities, Sri Lankan has since detained two individuals. A 46-year-old man - identified as Osmand Gerrard – is suspected to be the handler for the four that were apprehended in India and still has not been arrested.
The suspects have been identified as 33-year-old Mohammad Nusrat from Periyamulla, 27-year-old Mohammad Nafran from Grandpass, 35-year-old Mohammad Farish from Maligawatte and 43-year-old Mohammad Rashdeen from Kotahena.
Among them, 27-year-old Mohammad Nafran was identified as the son of Niyas Naufer, also known as ‘Potta Naufer,’ who was sentenced to death for the murder of High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya in 2004.
