Muslim preacher Zakir Naik is the common denominator among more than 100 terror suspects linked to the Islamic State group who were arrested by Indian security forces, India’s National Investigation Agency said today.
Top agency official Alok Mittal told a conference of counter-terror teams in New Delhi that 127 people were arrested across India for suspected terrorist links and “a common factor in the radicalisation of the majority of these suspects was Zakir Naik”, Hindustan Times reports.
The suspects are reported to have been inspired by Zakir’s speeches.
The preacher and his religious rhetoric came to the attention of Indian police after the suspects of a deadly terror attack in Dhaka in 2016 cited Zakir as their inspiration for the act.
The Mumbai-born Zakir is the founder of Peace TV, an Islamic satellite channel that has been banned in several countries, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The preacher, who is wanted in India on charges of promoting terror and money laundering, has found asylum in Malaysia as a permanent resident.
India has made several calls for his extradition but Malaysian officials, including Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have maintained that the suspect would be tortured and even killed if he were to be sent home. – TMI