14 Suspected ISIS Sympathisers Used Chat Apps, Say Sources

New Delhi: 14 people arrested in a countrywide anti-terror operation by the National Investigation Agency or NIA were brought in a bus on Monday to a Delhi court, which has sent them to police custody till February 5.

The men, suspected to be sympathisers of the terror group ISIS, have allegedly shared with interrogators details of how the ISIS recruits and finances people willing to join the terror group.

Sources said the men who have been arrested were found to be in touch with active members of the ISIS through chat applications like Signal, Trillion and Skype.

The arrests were made after simultaneous searches across three cities in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Lucknow. Some of those arrested are students while others work in various companies.

In court today, sources said, the NIA did not detail any specific threat or terror plot that the 14 accused were suspected to be involved in, but sought further custody to determine the extent of an ISIS network in the country and its immediate plans.

There is a high alert across the nation ahead of Republic Day tomorrow, when French President Francois Hollande will be chief guest at the parade in the capital. At a recent security review chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, officials said there is a "very real" ISIS threat for Republic Day.

On Sunday, a white Santro car with an Army hospital sticker was stolen from south Delhi, adding to the worries of security agencies that are already looking for two other vehicles gone missing ahead of Republic Day.

The police have been looking for the stolen SUV of a police officer, with a blue beacon, and a taxi that went missing after it was hired for Pathankot, the town where terrorists attacked an air base on January 2.

There is tight security at airports, railway stations, bus stands and other public places across the country and at least 1,000 snipers along with 49,000 security personnel will guard the capital on Tuesday.