Three Coimbatore youths with suspected IS links asked to appear before NIA in Kochi

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has asked three youths from Coimbatore, who were recently interrogated for their suspected links with the terror group Islamic State (IS), to appear before it in Kochi for questioning. The three identified as Nivas Khan, a welder, Nawaz, a college student, and Sheik Safiullah, a medical representative, will be questioned by top officials of the NIA in Kochi. All of them left for Kochi with their families on Wednesday morning, The Hindu reports. On Sunday, the NIA had interrogated 16 men arrested in Coimbatore in the previous week, since they were suspected of having links with IS. The NIA had arrested six men on October 1 and they conducted raids on the houses of five of men on October 2, reports The New Indian Express. Following this, about 11 people were arrested based on the call records and other digital footprints they attained from mobile phones and laptops of the suspects. Moreover, three more were arrested on Saturday for interrogation. Intelligence sources told The New Indian Express that the men were taken into custody only for questioning as some of them are suspected to be close to Abu Basheer, who was arrested earlier for IS links.  Read: NIA questions 16 men in Coimbatore suspected to have links with ISIS