TID nets four radicalists for spreading Wahabism in social media: Police

The officers of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) had arrested four suspects in connection with the offences of spreading extremist ideologies and Wahabism with the help of social media platforms, police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said.

He said the two suspects, a 31-year-old man from Wellampitiya and a 32-year-old male from Thihariya. 

They returned from Qatar after working there for a couple of years, he said.

During their tenure in Qatar, they had created a WhatsApp group known as 'One Umma' and had circulated various ideologies connected to extremism and Wahabism among the Sri Lankans who were in their group, the spokesman said.

Investigations have brought to light that they had promoted Zahran Hashim's ideology on extremism and Wahabism, he said.

Accordingly, the Sri Lankan authorities alerted the Qatar authorities about their activities through the social media group which they had created.

Upon the investigations conducted by the Qatari authorities, the suspects had been deported.

Following investigations by the TID, the suspects were arrested yesterday. 

Investigations also disclosed that one of the men was involved in publishing the Zahran's oath-taking of Baiyath soon after the Easter Sunday attack, the police spokesman said.

Also found that he had involved in publishing various photographs and videos relating to extremism and Wahabism.

The suspects are being detained by the TID under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

Meanwhile, another two suspects (38, 37) have been arrested in Muthur. The investigations said that the duo has conducted instructions and classes in 2018 for schoolchildren who had done their G.C.E. Ordinary Level (O/L) examination. The classes were conducted by the followers of Zahran Hazim.

The duo was also brought to the TID for further investigations. (Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya)