Kerala Youth deported from UAE denies link with Islamic State

MALAPPURAM: The 19-year-old Jabir, native of Thirunnavaya in the district who was deported by UAE for his suspected stand of supporting the ideology of Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist outfit, said that he has no link with ISIS and he believes that ISIS is acting against the doctrines of Islam.

According to Jabir, who completed his schooling in New Indian School Ras Al Khaimah in Abhu Dhabi, he had visited national Museum of Ras Al Khaimah with his friends and had taken a photograph standing near a rifle which was actually an exhibit of the museum, and that this photograph was the one that raised suspicion of the UAE cops.

Jabir said, the UAE police took him into custody four months ago, after two students of the school, one of whom was Keralite and the other a native of Bangladesh, went missing.

"Even after completing the higher secondary course, we, the former students of the school kept in touch with each other and often had get togethers which included the new students as well. When two students, including the Malayali boy went missing, their parents filed a complaint with UAE police and police interrogated us to collect information on the missing students. During the investigation process police examined social media posts and comments of all of our eleven membered gang including Pakistanis and Bengladeshis and they noticed my photograph with the rifle in mobile phone and facebook wall. It raised the suspicion of the police and they kept me in custody for four months for detailed interrogation," he said adding that he was deported after UAE police were convinced of his innocence.

Jabir said that still he has no information on the missing students and he also added that the Malayali boy might have been killed. "I never contacted any extremist groups or never liked or shared any pro-ISIS photos or articles in social media", he said.

It was on August 29 that Jabir was deported by UAE and he landed in Karippur International Airport. According to Jabir, the state special branch (SSB) officials have already collected all details regarding the incidents in UAE from him and the police have also interrogated his elder brother.