Sudanese security releases three ISIS sympathizers
December 31, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) has released three of the Islamic State (ISIS) sympathizers Wednesday, Sudan Tribune has learnt.
Five other ISIS sympathizers are still in detention including Masa’ad al-Sidairah, Omer Abdel-Khalig, Salah al-Din Ibrahim, Ayman al-Misbah and al-Obied Ibrahim.
Last August, NISS arrested al-Sidairah, Emir-general of the Jama’at al-I’tisam bil-Quran wal-Sunna Abdel-Khalig and its political secretary, al-Obied Ibrahim besides the Imam (prayer leader) and director of Imam Bukhari religious institute, which is suspected to be the main incubator and recruiting place for the students who joined ISIS, Salah al-Din Ibrahim.
Al-Sidairah is considered one of the famous Jihadist figures in Sudan. He runs a religious school in Shambat suburb in Khartoum North where he teaches Hadith (a collection of traditions containing sayings of the prophet Muhammad).
He was arrested several times along with a number of his disciples for allegedly recruiting young people to join the extremist group.
Al-Sidairah had openly pledged allegiance to ISIS’ leader and the self-proclaimed Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but he denies involvement in sending young people to Iraq and Syria to join the militant group.
On 26 July 2014 Jama’at al-I’tisam bil-Quran wal-Sunna issued a statement signed by its former leader, Sulieman Abu Naro, pledging allegiance to al-Baghdadi and expressing support for the declaration of the Islamic Caliphate.
“We see in this event a great opportunity to unite Muslims and to strengthen their ranks in the battle against their enemies,” the statement read.
Also, the group, under its current leader, Abdel-Khalig, expressed its support to the terrorist attack against the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, last January in which 12 people were killed and 11 others injured.
It also supported the killing of the Royal Jordanian Air Force pilot, Muaz Kassasbe, who was burned to death by ISIS last February after his plane crashed over Syria.
The decision to release ISIS sympathizers came after they signed pledges neither to promote the ideology of the extremist organization nor to recruit or send students to join it.
Several Jihadist Salfist leaders expected the rest of the detainees would be released soon, saying the prosecution office will likely not refer them to court for lack of evidence.
Last week, the director of NISS Mohamed Atta said all ISIS recruiting cells in Sudan are in grip of his agency.
He pointed that intensive efforts are being made in secret to curtail the spread of the ISIS views and prevent youth groups from joining the extremist organization.
The spy-chief further revealed that all persons involved in sending the students to join ISIS are “in our hands”, stressing that two recruiting cells have been busted.
ISIS infiltration into Sudan among the youths has become known last March after British media outlets confirmed that nine medical students from Sudanese origins entered Syria via Turkey to work in hospitals under the control of ISIS.
Last October, the ministry of interior in Khartoum announced that about 70 Sudanese both males and females have went on to join the ISIS franchises both in Libya and Syria.