Bengaluru: Mohammed Shafi Armar, a notorious Islamic State (IS) recruiter, hailing from Bhatkal, Karnataka, is learnt to have been killed in a U.S. air strike on Syria in the last couple of days. As per sources he was the chief online recruiter of the IS.
“We are in the process of cross-verifying it on the ground by our men. From initial reports, he is, in all probability, dead,” The Hindu quoted a senior intelligence official adding that the Intelligence agencies are also monitoring pro-IS social media handles for confirmation from the IS side.
Armar was in news after National Investigation Agency and Intelligence Bureau went on a country-wide crackdown and arrested 14 men (six from Karnataka alone) on suspicion of having connection with the IS. But, later it was learnt that all the 14 were in touch with Armar, the head of the Ansar-Ul-Tawhid, an offshoot of IS previously headed by his brother Sultan Armar, which was started in 2011-12. However, investigation had then revealed that he was operating under a new banner Janood Al Khalifa Hind, a local terror outfit.
Armar had started his terror career with Indian Mujahiddeen, when he was recruited along with his brother Sultan Armar by Riyaz Bhatkal in 2008.
In fact, IS chief Abu-Bakr-Al-Bhagdadi in a video message had declared Sultan Armar as an Amir (leader) of AuT. He was killed on March 6, 2015 in a similar air strike in Kobane, Syria.
