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Written by Rashmi Rajput | Mumbai | Updated: March 11, 2017 4:48 am Tabrez Tambe

THE BROTHER of an alleged Islamic State (IS) recruit from Maharashtra has written to the Indian ambassador in Libya, seeking help in locating and rescuing his brother from the war-torn country. In an email sent in January, Saud Tambe said his brother Tabrez, 28, who had been booked by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) last December under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, had moved to Egypt and later Libya for a job.

On January 26, I sent an email to the Indian ambassador in Libya stating that my brother had moved to Egypt in January last year for a job. Ali, a Saudi Arabian national, had helped him land the job. Subsequently, Ali took him to Libya for training. However, in December, we got a call from Tabrez, saying he was stuck in a war-torn region and that we should seek help from the authorities to get him back to India, he told The Indian Express.

While Saud claimed he didnt know the name of the company where Tabrez was employed in Libya, he said his brother called in March to inform the family that he was moving to Libya for training. After that, said Saud, calls from Tabrez dropped until December, when he made the last call for help.

However, the ATS probe has revealed that while Tabrez left India in January, claiming to have bagged a job in Egypt, he moved to Libya within a month. While the probe confirmed that Tabrez called his mother in March 2016, investigators say it wasnt to tell the family that he was moving to Libya for training but to inform them that he had joined the IS and that they shouldnt check on him. However, they say, he did call in December to say he was stuck and needed help.

After his graduation from Mumbai University, Tabrez did a diploma course in air cargo management. He has two brothers, besides Saud, and a sister. The family, which is from Harnai in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, moved to Mumbra near Mumbai in 2009 and has been staying on rent.

The ATS probe has also revealed that Tabrez had booked a return ticket to India, allegedly to avoid suspicion. Tambe made a booking through an online travel portal. We interrogated the Delhi-based representative who made the bookings. The investigation has revealed that he booked a return ticket just to show that he intended to return to India. However, our investigation has revealed that the plan to go to Egypt for employment was an alibi; the real purpose was to leave India to join the IS, said an ATS officer, adding that the investigators were combing Tabrezs social media profile and questioning his friends.

In Mumbra, Saud said he doesnt believe his brother could have joined the IS. We cannot speak about the ATSs investigations. My brother has been cheated with the promise of a job. There is an FIR against him and we want the courts to decide if he is really a terrorist. But we believe that he has nothing to do with the IS and that he is stuck in Libya and needs to be rescued, he said.

Originally posted here:
Brother of 'IS recruit' seeks help from Indian envoy in Libya - The Indian Express