State police tracing ex-SIMI activists

KOCHI: With reports of possible Malayali links to the Mumbai serial blasts surfacing, the state police have started to gather information on ex-SIMI activists in Kerala who have are now operating in other organisations. 
Senior officials in the state intelligence said although the SIMI activists had changed their modus operandi in the state, their activities and objective still remain the same. The officials said that they had already communicated with the Central intelligence agencies and had started to track ex-SIMI activists who are operating under the name JamIyyathul Ansarul Muslimeen (JIAM).The militant outfit reportedly has strong roots in Kerala and Karnataka. 
"We are actively pursuing our operations to trace the activities of those extremist organisations that operate under different names," the officials said.The activities of JIAM in Kerala came under the scanner after certain names of exSIMI activists, such as K P Sabir, Mohammed Azhar, Yusuf, Shafiq and Mohammed Shabir, were listed by the central intelligence agencies in connection with various bomb blasts in Karnataka and Kerala.The state police are still searching for Sabir, who allegedly masterminded the Ernakulam Collectorate blast in July 2009.According to the state police, JIAM was a group formed by a set of ex-SIMI activists to carry out anti-national activities."The organisation is suspectedly adding more youngsters to its fold to act as a shadow outfit of the LashkareTayiba and the Indian Mujahideen," the officials said. The state police have been coordinating with the Karnataka police, who have interrogated suspected LeT activist Thadiyantavide Nazeer in detail, to collect information about the JIAM activists in Kerala who have gone underground.

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