A Chennai court has acquitted Khaja Moideen, a man accused of being a key figure in the ISIS network in India, of terrorism charges. The court cited a lack of evidence connecting him to the terrorist organization.
Moideen was accused of radicalizing young men and shipping them off to Syria, as well as being part of terror modules across three southern Indian states. However, the court ruled that there was no evidence to support these claims.
The court also acquitted Moideen's associate, Ansar Meeran, of terrorism conspiracy charges, but sentenced him to four years in prison for harbouring a Singapore national who was allegedly involved in radicalizing people.
The acquittal is a major embarrassment for the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which had portrayed Moideen as a key figure in the ISIS network in India.
