Karnataka-born IS operative declared global terrorist by US

The US on Thursday declared Karnataka-born Islamic State operative Mohammad Shafi Armar and two others as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and imposed financial sanctions against them, the first time that American authorities have taken such action against an Indian member of the terror group.

The state department's action against Armar, Oussama Ahmad Atar and Mohammed Isa Yousif Saqar Al Binali imposed sanctions on them as they posed a "significant risk of committing" acts of terrorism that threaten US national security.

The state department's move coincided with the US treasury department putting the three IS operatives on the Office of Foreign Assets Control's list of "Specially Designated Nationals", whereby their assets were blocked and American nationals prohibited from dealing with them.

The state department described Armar as a "leader and head recruiter in India for the Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, ISIS". "He has cultivated a group of dozens of ISIS sympathisers who are involved in terrorist activities across India, such as plotting attacks, procuring weapons, and identifying locations for terrorist training camps," said a statement from the state department. Armar, a resident of Bhatkal in Karnataka, was earlier a member of the banned Indian Mujahideen. Indian security agencies believe Armar recruited nearly three dozen Indian members for IS.

He became the chief recruiter in India after his brother Sultan Armar died in March 2015. The state department also listed his numerous aliases, including Anjan Bhai, Chote Maula and Yousouf al-Hindi. The action, the state department said, was meant to alert the international community that Armar, Atar and Binali "have committed or pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism". The designation would also assist law enforcement actions of other US agencies and other governments, it added.

Atar, a Belgian-Moroccan national, was described as a senior leader of the external operations efforts of IS who had established a network to carry out attacks in Europe.