Alleged ISIS operative Hood charged, faces life imprisonment

Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has filed multiple charges against a man arrested in a counter-terror operation in suburban Vilimale’ in January on suspicion of being a prominent operative associated with the terror group ISIS. 

Hood Mohamed Zahir, 30, V. Velvahtha, was arrested by Maldives police in a joint operation involving the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and authorities from two European nations on January 6. 

He is suspected of professing support for ISIS and propagating the terror group’s documents, pictures and video on various social media platforms using different accounts, and threatening to plan and carry out a terror attack. 

PGO announced on Tuesday that it has filed five charges against Hood with the Criminal Court. 

THE CHARGES: 

• Incitement to terrorism via internet 

He was pressed with the charge based on evidence he used his phone to incite acts of terrorism using different social media accounts, and call for assault, murder, vandalism of property and terror attacks, and sharing multiple documents, pictures and video prepared in different languages by ISIS to propagate its inhumane acts and attacks across the world on online platforms linked to ISIS, and incitement to an act of terrorism. 

He will receive a prison sentence of 10-15 years if found guilty of the charge. 

• Propagating documents from a terror organization via internet 

He was pressed with the charge based on evidence he spread magazines and publications linked to ISIS, as well as ISIS’ fatwas and documents encouraging acts of terrorism, via various online platforms. 

He will receive a prison sentence of 10-15 years if found guilty of the charge. 

• Membership at a terror organization 

He was pressed with the charge based on evidence he worked as a member who spread ISIS’ news and operated the media. 

He will receive a prison sentence of 10-15 years if found guilty of the charge. 

• Supporting a terror organization 

He was pressed with the charge based on evidence he supported ISIS. 

He will receive a prison sentence of 3-5 years if found guilty of the charge. 

• Possession of a document or drawing or picture showing support for a terror organization 

He was pressed with the charge based on evidence he was in possession of documents, photos and video showing his support for ISIS and its branches. 

He will receive a prison sentence of 1-3 years if found guilty of the charge. 

Hood faces minimum 34 years in prison if found guilty of the charges.