Dubai, Sep 4 (Agencies) : The two men from Kochi were part of a group of around 10 from the subcontinent in the UAE who were found to have participated in IS propaganda and sharing pro-IS material on social media, sources said.

The UAE has deported two Indians whose social media accounts indicated that they were “radicalised and sympathetic” to the Islamic State, sources told The Indian Express.

The two men from Kochi were part of a group of around 10 from the subcontinent in the UAE who were found to have participated in IS propaganda and sharing pro-IS material on social media, sources said.

“The Facebook accounts of these men came under the scanner of authorities in the UAE, and they were deported in batches. The two men from Kerala were sent back to India on August 29,” said a source in the Intelligence services.

None of these men, however, had travelled beyond the UAE to join IS troops in Iraq or Syria, the source said.
“The two who were sent back to India have been interrogated by the Intelligence Bureau, and it was decided not to register any case against them. After putting them through some counselling sessions, they were allowed to return to their homes,” the source added. Sources declined to reveal the names of those deported to protect the identity of their families.

At a high-level meeting in New Delhi on August 1, police chiefs and home secretaries of 12 states were advised by the Home Secretary to adopt a “measured approach” to counter the threat of radicalisation of youth by the Islamic State.
On August 5, The Indian Express had reported that Intelligence agencies were aware that several youths from Kerala supported the Islamic State on social media platforms.

Most of the pro-Islamic State Facebook accounts of Keralites are operated from Gulf countries, they said.

There were also inputs that Saudi Arabia and UAE had cracked down on a few men from Kerala who had supported the Islamic State on social media.