NIA raids 41 places of ISIS suspects in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka in two blast cases

New Delhi [India], February 15 (ANI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday conducted searches at 41 locations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka in Coimbatore car bomb blast and Mangaluru blast cases.

In the major crackdown against ISIS sympathisers, the NIA conducted searches at 32 locations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in connection with October 23, 2022, explosion taken in front of Sangameshwarar Temple at Eswaran kovil Street in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, and eight locations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka on November 19, 2022, the explosion of IED (Pressure cooker bomb) in a moving auto-rickshaw near bus stop Kankanady in Manguru.

Houses of suspects were searched on the basis of investigational findings at 32 locations in the districts of Coimbatore (14), Trichy (1), Nilgiris (2), Tirunelveli (3), Tuticorin (1), Chennai (3), Thiruvannamalai (2), Dindigul (1), Mayiladuthurai (1), Krishnagiri (1), Kanyakumari (1) and Tenkasi (1) of Tamil Nadu, Ernakulam(1) of Kerala in Coimbatore car bomb blast.

However, the NIA raids eight such locations in the districts of Tiruppur (2) and Coimbatore (1) of Tamilnadu, Ernakulam (4) of Kerala and Mysuru (1) of Karnataka Mangaluru blast case.

“Searches conducted today have led to the seizure of a large number of digital devices and cash amounting to Rs 4 lakh in the two cases,” said the NIA, adding further investigations in these two cases are in progress.

On October 27, 2022, the NIA started a probe into the bomb blast in a car laden with explosives in front of Kottai Eswaran Temple of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu.

Eleven accused persons were arrested earlier by the anti-terror agency in the case which was initially registered by Tamil Nadu Police on October 23 last year.

The deceased accused, Jamesha Mubeen, after swearing bayath (allegiance) to ISIS was planning to carry out a suicide attack and cause extensive damage to the Temple Complex with the intention to strike terror in the community, said the NIA in a statement.

“Investigations have revealed that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy in the interior of forested regions of Asanoor and Kadambur areas of Sathyamangalam forest, Erode district, in February 2022,” the NIA has said.

“The meetings were led by previously arrested accused Umar Farook and participated by deceased accused Jamesha Mubeen, Mohammed Azharudin, Sheikh Hidayatullah and Sanofar Ali, where they conspired to prepare for and execute terror acts.”

In December last year, the NIA took over the investigation into the November 19 pressure cooker blast in an autorickshaw in Mangaluru wherein a passenger, identified as Mohammed Shariq, was carrying a pressure cooker bomb made from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

The auto-rickshaw exploded leading to injuries to both the passenger, Mohammed Shariq, who was carrying a pressure cooker bomb made IED and the autorickshaw driver Purushottam Poojari. The cooker bomb was designed to carry out a large-scale attack to fuel communal tensions in the coastal region and in the state.

Shariq was en-route to a pre-decided location for carrying out the blast when the explosion took place.

The NIA started its investigation under the provision of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and investigating officers then questioned the main accused Shariq as the state police has found his links with the Islamic State (IS) in its investigation, and that he had radicalised his schoolmates, Syed Yasin and Muneer Ahmed, and introduced them to IS as well.

Together, the three of them had experimented and rehearsed the explosion on the banks of the Tunga river in the Shivamogga district. The practice explosion was also reportedly successful.

According to sources, the main accused, Shariq, had a handler who was orchestrating and instructing him regarding all these activities.