Bhatkal Origin Shafi Armar named as ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’
The fugitive chief recruiter for the ISIS in the Indian subcontinent Mohammed Shafi Armar is named a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ by the US, becoming the first Indian leader of the dreaded terror outfit against whom America has slammed sanctions. Armar, a native of Bhatkal in Karnataka, is said to have recruited at least 30 men for IS in India, according to Indian intelligence agencies. The State Department termed Armar “a leader and head recruiter in India” for the IS.
The US State Treasury Department, while updating its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), has included in it Armar, clearing the way for sanctions against him. An Interpol Red Corner notice is also pending against the 30-year-old Armar, who has many aliases like ‘Chhote Maula’, ‘Anjan Bhai’ and ‘Yousuf al-Hindi’. Armar’s name has now been added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury Department which enforces economic sanctions programmes, primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers. This is for the first time that the US has slammed sanctions against an ISIS leader in India.
It is revealed that Armar has cultivated a group of dozens of ISIS sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps. The State Department has designated Armar, Oussama Ahmad Atar, and Mohammed Isa Yousif Saqar Al Binali as SDGTs, which imposes strict sanctions on these persons and bars US nationals from engaging in transactions or dealings with designated persons and all their property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction is blocked.
While, Atar was behind the November 2015 Paris attack. Sources reveal that Belgian-Moroccan Oussama Atar is a “senior leader of IS’ external operations efforts and has established a network to carry out attacks in Europe” and was “a leading coordinator of the November 2015 Paris attacks and March 2016 attacks in Brussels”. The US State Department said Atar was responsible for recruiting, training and sending “at least some of the individuals to Paris to launch the November 2015 attacks, which killed and injured hundreds, including Americans”. He also recruited and mentored two of the bombers involved in the March 2016 Brussels attacks that killed 32 and left many more wounded, according to it.
Binali is engaged in IS propaganda- Al Binali, it said, departed Bahrain to join the terrorist group in 2014 and has since appeared in multiple IS propaganda videos calling on Bahrainis, specifically members of Bahrain’s security forces, to join Islamic State. “Today’s action notifies the US public and the international community that Atar, Armar, and Binali have committed or pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism. Designations expose and isolate organisations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the US financial system,” the State Department said.
So….US officially names this genius from Bhatkal as ‘terrorist’ for his direct involvement with ISIS. I wonder if Congress party, its ‘vote banks’ and other pseudo-secular groups are going to accuse US for ‘Hindutva’ agenda! As far as Bhatakla town goes, there were other geniuses from same town who went onto become notorious terrorists. How come one town is producing so many terrorists when much bigger towns and cities are staying normal? How come we have no journalist or ‘investigative’ reporters looking into the reasons behind this Jihaadi factory? Instead, our media and ‘journalists’ try to fool readers by projecting Bhatkala as a normal town with biriyaani shops and normal people. Same way, how come one particular community from kasaragodu is behind every single case of gold smuggling reported at Mangalore airport? Where are our ‘investigative’ journalists and self-declared ‘rationalists’? Oh never mind – they are all hiding under desks.