Indian police detain man believed to be popular Islamic State Twitter supporter

Police in southern India have detained a man they believe is behind a popular pro-Islamic State Twitter account.

A top police official in Bangalore said Saturday that Mehdi Masroor Biswas, a 24-year-old engineer, is being questioned by authorities. He gave no other details.

It's not clear whether Biswas is being questioned for his role as a supporter or whether authorities believe he has actual links to the militant group.

The police official spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not allowed to speak to reporters.

On Friday, Britain's Channel 4 had reported that they had uncovered the identity of @shamiwitness.

The account has been deleted but Channel 4 described Biswas as one of the militant group's most influential Twitter supporters with 17,000 followers and over 2 million views each month.