Chennai, May 28 (IANS): Sleuths of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have arrested an Islamic State (IS) terror suspect in Tamil Nadu's Mayiladuthurai, officials said on Friday.

The suspect, A Mohammed Ashiq, 25, was arrested at Needur near Mayiladuthurai late Thursday night.

He was wanted in a criminal conspiracy aimed at attacking a few Hindumunnani leaders in Coimbatore in 2018. He is alleged to have swore allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2018.

According to NIA, a group of seven members swore allegiance to the terror outfit, IS, and were planning to eliminate a few leaders to disturb the communal harmony in Coimbatore.

The NIA arrested them in 2018, and Mohammed Ashiq was named as the prime suspect in the case. The group was charged under IPC 143 (Unlawful assembly), IPC 120b (Criminal Conspiracy) and several sections under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Ashiq who was released on bail during the trial failed to reappear before the special court and a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued against him.

NIA tracked him and found that he was working in a chicken shop at Needur in Mayiladuthurai. The NIA team along with the TN police officers later took him into custody on Thursday night.