The National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation into the Islamic State (IS) links of Non-resident Keralites (NRKs) found that a Koduvally native with his family had reached till Istanbul airport to join the terrorist group in 2017, reports The New Indian Express on May 4. Shaibu Nihar alias Abu Mariyam was grilled by the NIA recently in which details of IS sympathisers among NRKs were revealed. Shaibu was intercepted from Qatar by the Interpol after which he was forced to return to India. On his arrival at Calicut airport, he was arrested by the NIA last month. In the interrogation, Shaibu revealed he along with seven other members working in Bahrain had decided to join the IS. The agency suspects they were frequent visitors to Al Ansar Salafi Centre in Bahrain where they were radicalized. “There were attempts to attract Keralites working in Middle-East countries to IS ideology. The exact number of Keralites who joined the IS while working in Middle-East countries is yet to be ascertained. The interrogation of Shaibu has helped us in getting details of IS propaganda activities among NRKs,” an officer said. Shaibu of Thamarassery; Mansoor of Kondotty; Mansoor of Vadakara; Shahnad of Kannur; Fajid Hamsa of Koilandy; Ashraf Moulavi of Vaniyambalam; Safeer Rahman of Perumbavoor, and Muhadis of Vaniyambalam are the members of the module. Of this Shahnad, Manzoor of Kondotty, Mansoor of Vadakara and Muhadis were reportedly killed in Syria. The NIA found Shaibu handed over 3,000 Bahrain Dinar to Safeer Rahman, another member of the module, to reach Syria. Similarly, he also gave financial assistance to Muneer of Thalassery. Muneer was arrested by the police in Saudi Arabia for propagating IS ideology.