NIA seeks assistance of social networking giants in ISIS case

New Delhi, Feb 9: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought the assistance of social networking giants like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, to identify the activities of the ISIS and its members promoting the ideology of the terror group.

NIA said they have sent requests to various social media sites including, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, KIK and Surespot, to obtain the datas under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).

This was revealed today by the probe agency before a Delhi court while seeking extension of NIA's custody of three terror suspects -- Sheikh Azhar Ul Islam, Mohammed Farhan Shaikh and Adnan Hassan, who were arrested after being deported from UAE for their alleged ISIS links.

NIA claimed that the accused and their associates were extensively using the internet and social networking sites to identify and facilitate the recruitment of members for the Middle East-based terror outfit.

"During investigation it has surfaced that accused persons in pursuance of larger criminal conspiracy and in connivance with other associates have extensively used Internet and many other Internet based services and various social media sites/forums including, but not limited to WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, KIK, Surespot etc to identify and facilitate recruitment of members and promote the activities and ideology of banned terrorist organisation namely Islamic State," it said.

"The data and contents of the same are required to be obtained. The request for obtaining this data is being forwarded to internet service providers (ISPs) under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) for criminal matters," the NIA said in its remand application moved before the court during an in-camera proceeding.

The agency further said that various electronic gadgets, including laptops, mobile phones and SIM cards, have been seized from the possession of these arrested accused and have been sent for forensic examination.

The court, after hearing the submissions, extended the NIA custody of these three accused by another 10 days.

PTI