60 per cent of IS Twitter handler's followers are non-Muslims

More than 60 per cent followers of Mehdi Masroor Biswas, the Bengaluru-based executive, who was running a pro-Islamic State Twitter account, were non-Muslims and a majority of his Muslim followers were from western countries, particularly the United Kingdom, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.

Making a suo motu statement in Lok Sabha, he said Mehdi, 24, was arrested on December 13 and during interrogation, indicated that his activities were limited to posting and re-posting of IS material on his Twitter account and other social media sites. He, however, denied having recruited any person for the militant group.

“During interrogation, Mehdi disclosed that more than 60 per cent of his followers on Twitter were non-Muslims from western countries and a majority of his Muslim followers were from the western countries, particularly the United Kingdom.

“Mehdi started closely following the developments in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan through the Internet during his college days and has been active in the social networking sites since 2009. Over a period of time, Mehdi started interacting with people in social media sites. He has denied having recruited any person for ISIS,” the home minister said.

Singh said Mehdi had come to prominence in the electronic media in the UK on his role in circulating IS material through the Twitter account.

The home minister said central agencies worked in close collaboration with the Karnataka police to gather information leading to his arrest.

Mehdi used to visit prominent IS related sites, mostly in Arabic language and then translate the contents into English and repost the material on his Twitter account @ShamiWitness.

Singh said Mehdi belongs to a middle class family from Kolkata and has done his electrical engineering from Gurunanak Dev Institute of Technology in 2012 and joined the ITC, Bengaluru, following a campus recruitment.

Meanwhile, intensifying its investigation, the Bengaluru police has asked for more details regarding ShamiWitness account from Twitter, which are crucial to the probe.

"Twitter Inc has started responding to our queries. I have sought more details regarding ShamiWitness which are crucial to investigation," DCP Crime (Bengaluru) Abhishek Goyal said.

The police has said the investigators are looking into "every possible" connection of Mehdi with the IS "virtual and actual world".

According to the police, preliminary investigation showed Mehdi was a propagandist of the IS ideology and "has been instrumental in influencing minds against our friendly nation against whom ISI is at war”.

Mehdi was working as manufacturing executive with ITC Foods and was staying in an one-room apartment in the IT city.

Britain’s Channel 4 News had first aired the report regarding Mehdi’s link with the Twitter account that is followed by foreign jihadis.

Mehdi has been arrested under Section 125 of the Indian Penal Code (whoever wages war against the government of any Asiatic power in alliance or at peace with the Government of India or attempts to wage such war, or abets the waging of such war), different sections the of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Information Technology Act.