UAE detains 11 Indians for abetting Islamic State

The United Arab Emirates has detained as many as 11 Indian nationals on charges of planning to join the Islamic State and recruiting, financing and providing logistics to those willing to joining the militant outfit.

According to The Times of India, the Indian nationals have been under detention in the UAE since early August.

The report comes days after the UAE deported two men from Kerala, who had posted pro-IS comments on Facebook.

The daily quoted intelligence sources as saying that the ''UAE security services came across two groups of people hailing from India, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, who were involved in sharing and discussing issues pertaining to IS on social media''.

The groups, comprised of Indians, Pakistani, Bangladeshi nationals, were also reportedly trying to establish online contact with leaders of the terror outfit.

Of those detained, eight were in Abu Dhabi and five in Dubai, reported the daily.

As per intelligence reports, the UAE authorities suspect that the 13 Indians were planning to travel, one by one, to Syria, possibly via Yemen or Turkey, and were in the process of organising funds and logistics.

Notably, 17 Indians have already joined the IS.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UAE last month, the two countries had denounced terrorism and agreed to coordinate efforts to counter radicalisation.