Sudan’s spy-chief says ISIS cells “under control”
December 21, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The director of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Mohamed Atta said all Islamic State (ISIS) recruiting cells in Sudan are in grip of his agency.
“Those efforts include using our relations with Turkey and other nations as well as efforts within ISIS itself,” he said.
He disclosed they also take preventive measures when they get suspicious of a young person by asking his or her family if they know that their son or daughter is in the airport to travel abroad.
“The last group which joined ISIS didn’t travel through the airport and they didn’t go to Turkey but Libya. The last person who sought to join ISIS and decided to leave [the country] through Khartoum airport knew that measure and that is why he didn’t travel [directly] from Khartoum to Turkey but he instead went to Addis Ababa and from there he left for Turkey,” he explained.
Atta pointed that young person was arrested in Turkey and has been returned to Sudan, adding he is currently being held in detention with the knowledge of his family.
“We want to make sure that he wouldn’t seek to [join ISIS] again and this is the least thing we could do in this regard, ”he add.
It is noteworthy that NISS organizes discussion rounds with the extremists inside their detention centers in order to review their thought. They usually pledge before their release not to seek to join any Jihadi movement abroad.
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.
He said that pressures have been exerted on his agency to release the first cell of ISIS operatives when they were arrested.
“We released them under certain guarantees but we arrested those who propagated ISIS views and recruited students. The last cell which helped the four girls to travel [to join ISIS] is in our custody. We made their parents aware of that and they have frequent contacts with them. We found the passports of the four girls in their possession and the girls travelled by road to Libya,” he said.
Late last August, Khartoum newspapers reported that a group of four female students including twin sisters left for Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and flew to Turkey from there.
According to the reports, names of the female students were among the list of the departing passengers on the al-Arabiya airlines heading to Istanbul via Sharjah, saying that security officers at Sharjah airport sought to stop them but to no avail.
Reliable sources told Sudan Tribune Sunday that NISS has wound up investigations with leaders of a group accused of propagating the views of ISIS amid speculations that they will likely be put on trial.
According to the sources, authorities had finished interrogation of those leaders on Friday and on Sunday relegated their file to the criminal investigations prosecutor in anticipation of their indictment.
If indicted, they will stand trial before the terrorism court or a special tribunal.
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.
(ST)