A Chennai court has acquitted Khaja Moideen, a key figure in the IS network in India, of terrorism charges, dealing a major blow to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Moideen, who was accused of radicalising young men and shipping them off to Syria, was acquitted along with his associate Ansar Meeran, who was sentenced to four years in prison for harbouring a Singapore national.
The NIA had registered a case in 2017, naming 10 people, including Moideen and Fakrudeen, who allegedly created a terror module that raised and received funds, organised camps, and recruited individuals to join IS.
However, the special NIA court in Chennai ruled that there was no evidence connecting Moideen and Meeran to any terrorist organisation, including IS, and that they did not hatch a criminal conspiracy to join IS or recruit others.
