Isis in India: Australian man suspected to be Daesh supporter deported from New Delhi airport

An Australian man has been deported from India on suspicion of being an Islamic State (Isis) supporter. Ahmad Fahim Bin Hamad Awang was detained by the country's security agencies for questioning after he landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on 4 February.

The man, reportedly of Malay origin, had arrived on a fight from Perth and was detained after a tip-off. On searching his laptop, officers allegedly found Isis (Daesh) propaganda materials and other jihadi literature. Photographs of the man pictured with an assault rifle and another with a pistol in his lap were also found in the alleged IS supporter's laptop.

"When he was questioned about the purpose of his visit to India, Awang said he had to attend a meeting in Delhi's Nizamuddin area, but was evasive in his replies. He had managed to secure a valid visa. However, after scouring through the contents of his laptop, a call was taken that it was too dangerous to allow him to enter India, and he was sent back to Perth," sources told The Indian Express.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was aware of Awang's departure from India, The News reported. Australian officials have said Indian authorities "did not have sufficient evidence to stop him".

"Due to intelligence and security considerations I won't be commenting further," Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said. "Our relative agencies are investigating this matter very closely," she said.

Awang's deportation comes at a time when Indian security agencies are cracking down on IS supporters over fears of a lone wolf terror attack. In the past few months, Indian authorities have arrested 15 men from various cities for alleged links to a local IS affiliate, called the Junood-Al-Khilafa-e-Hind. According to reports, the affiliate has been planning to carry out terror attacks in Indian cities.

On 5 February, India's security agencies arrested two suspected IS supporters from the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. One of the IS supporters was arrested outside Rajasthan's Jaisalmer airport.