Ish Sookun still in police custody

Arrested on last Saturday during police investigation on terrorism threats, Ish Sookun and Kishan Sooklall are still in police custody. The police Prosecutor objected to their release on bail and they are not allowed to leave the country. Last week, an email was received at the Prime Minister’s Office mentioning imminent attacks against the country. This prompted authorities to step up security across Mauritius and field more police officers on the roads. The targeted places in the email included police stations, courts, the Passport and Immigration Office and the airport. Investigators from the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) traced the IP address from which the email was sent. It bore the signature of Ismael Sundrum, a Mauritian who has joined the ranks of Daesh. The sender is Ismael Sundrum@india.com. The CTU, working jointly with foreign experts, traced the sender to a computer from Indra Company Ltd, shop 10, 14 Royal Rd, Curepipe. This internet shop is owned by Ish Sookun, who had previously detected shortcomings with the government IT system used to store personal data of applicants for the new biometric national ID card. Ish Sookun is being represented by lawyers Sanjeev Teeluckdharry and Erickson Mooneapillay. Lawyer Teeluckdharry informed the Court that his client, who was in custody for eight hours, has not been questioned by the police. He asked that the 21 items which were seized by the police be analysed in the presence of his client. Ish Sookun, who works as a Linux System Administrator, stated that he is an IT expert and very devoted to his country. “I am not a terrorist and I deny the accusations levelled against me,” he told the Court.