Philippines-based jehadi motivator Karen Aisha Hamidon has emerged as a regional threat. The former airhostess of a West-Asia airline company is reportedly engaged in a major way in recruiting youths from the region, including India, for the terror outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Hamidon is a hardcore radical who comes from a background of mixed parentage. Her late father was a Muslim and mother a Christian. She has been actively taking part in ISIS’ online activities such as identification of individuals carrying potential to become ISIS members, radicalising individuals online and handing over such individuals to handlers based in ISIS-controlled areas.
Hamidon, born on September 26, 1981, embraced Christianity and was working as airhostess in Emirates Airline. It was here that she was influenced towards Islam and later she converted herself to Muslim.
Since the number of ISIS sympathisers and members has been growing steadily, Indian agencies are striving hard to ensure that threat of ISIS did not emerge as a major security issue. In doing so, Indian agencies have exposed several ISIS modules that were either attempting to make their way to ISIS-controlled areas or were in process of executing acts of terror on the Indian soil.
One such case, RC-05/2016/NIA/DlI, was registered by the NIA against Sirajuddin, a resident of Jaipur and native of Bangalore. The interrogation of Sirajuddin and investigation carried out by the National Investigation Agency revealed that he was radicalised by the Filipino woman... Following the revelations, the NIA has recently sent a letters Rogatory (judicial request) to Philippines seeking details about her activities and linkages with the terror outfit.
After converting to Islam around ten years back, Hamidon has been associated with Mahad Al Islamic mosque in Zamboanga city of Mindanao province in Philippines.
Hamidon has been actively participating in the ISIS propaganda and online activities, but since she has not been instrumental in any act of terror, she has managed to evade the Philippines law.
Hamidon has not only recruited several recruits for ISIS in India but also radicalised and motivated many individuals in many other parts of Asia and Indian subcontinent for the dreaded terror outfit.
As of now, she continues to manage evading law by constantly remaining inside Philippines. But, if Philippines Government makes changes to counter terrorism laws, she is likely to get compelled to either be arrested or escape from Philippines to some other country, sources tracking her activities said.
Hamidon is closely associated with the ISIS leadership and has very good access amongst the Moro Islamic insurgents of Philippines as also those who have expressed allegiance to the ISIS.
As of now, she is suspected to be engaged in motivating some young Muslim girls from Mindanao province to join the ISIS along with continuing her online radicalisation activities for young Muslims in Asia.
She is connected to several young Muslims from Indian subcontinent. Cyber profiling of her social networking accounts suggests that she is in touch with at least 15 youth from India, including from Jammu & Kashmir, Mumbai and Konkan area of India, Sri lanka and Maldives. Her connectivity with Kashmiri youth also suggests that she might be one of the brains behind waving of the ISIS flags in Kashmir Valley on regular basis, the sources said.
She is in touch with at least 10 Indians — four radicals in Jammu & Kashmir (three from Srinagar and one from Sopre) besides one Islamist from Daman and Diu who is engaged in the business of money exchange, two from Hyderabad and one each from Kanpur and Kolkata. The names are being withheld so as not disturb the surveillance put on them by the agencies here.
Hamidon has also been actively engaged in executing the recruitment drive of the ISIS in Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Sri lanka, Maldives and the UAE.
She has six siblings. Her father Ahmad Hamidon passed away around 15 years back and since then she has been brought up by her Christian mother.
Her two siblings have embraced Islam and remaining three follow Christianity. Her mother Victoria Abunan is stated to have served in the Philippines police force.