Pti

Bengaluru: The alleged handler of the most influential pro-Islamic State (IS) Twitter account has been arrested, a senior police official said here on Saturday.

"He is with us," the official told PTI, confirming the arrest of the pro-jihad tweeter "@ShamiWitness" who had been anonymously operating the account as "Mehdi".

The official declined to provide details.

Bengaluru Police were on the hunt for "Mehdi" who was reported to be working as an executive based out of Bengaluru.

Britain's Channel 4 News had aired the report regarding the country's IT capital's link with the Twitter account that is followed by foreign jihadis.

The British news broadcaster did not reveal his full name as he said his life would be in danger. A total of 39 Indian workers are still under the captivity of the deadly IS.

The account was shut down after the report surfaced.

In its report, 'Channel 4' yesterday said that the man operating the account is an executive in the city working for an Indian conglomerate and had been able to remain anonymous "until now" and avoiding questions about his role in the Islamic State's propaganda war.

Channel 4 News had said its investigation had however revealed that the man operating the account is called Mehdi and he is an executive in Bangalore working for an Indian conglomerate.

"His tweets, written under the name Shami Witness, were seen two million times each month, making him perhaps the most influential Islamic State Twitter account, with over 17,700 followers," it said.

Bangalore Police Commissioner M N Reddi had said they have asked the crime branch to look into the veracity of the report and were in contact with central agencies like NIA and IB.

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