NIA conducts pan-India searches in online terror radicalisation case

📌 Summary:

• NIA carried out nationwide searches on July 8, 2026 in a case related to online terror radicalisation
• The radicalisation network was aimed at establishing an Islamic state in India through violent jihad against the democratically elected government
• The network promoted the ideology of ISIS and AQIS (Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent) terrorist organisations

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Internal Security — online radicalisation, role of state and non-state actors, and counter-terror architecture (NIA's pan-India jurisdiction)

📝 Prelims Facts:

• NIA is a statutory body under the NIA Act, 2008; it can investigate scheduled offences across States without state consent
• AQIS = Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent; both ISIS and AQIS are banned under UAPA
• NIA (Amendment) Act, 2019 extended jurisdiction to offences committed abroad against Indian citizens

🔑 Key Term: Online radicalisation — the use of internet platforms and social media to indoctrinate individuals into extremist ideologies and recruit them for terrorism