India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed that a bomber involved in a 2022 blast in a car in Coimbatore was inspired by Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the 21 April 2019 Sri Lanka bombings.
The NIA today (Thursday) filed a chargesheet against six persons for their involvement in the 2022 blast in a car in Coimbatore, in which the alleged bomber Jameesha Mubeen was killed.
As first reported by HT, NIA has claimed in its chargesheet that Mubeen was inspired by Maulvi Zahran bin Hashim, mastermind of April 21, 2019, Sri Lanka bombings, in which over 260 people were killed, and was planning to carry out similar strikes in India, particularly Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
An explosion had taken place at an ancient Temple Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil at Eswaran Kovil Street, Ukkadam, Coimbatore on October 23.
The vehicle-borne Improvised Explosives Device (V-IED) driven by Jamesha Mubeen had blown up in front of the temple. Mubeen was killed in the blast.
“Investigations had revealed Mubeen was inspired by ISIS ideology to carry out this attack. He had also taken ‘bayath’ or oath of allegiance to its self-proclaimed Caliph Abu-al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi,” said NIA in its chargesheet.
A pen drive recovered from his associate – Mohammed Asarutheen, arrested by NIA, contained videos recordings of Jamesha Mubeen, where he had identified himself as a member of Daulat-e-Islamia (or Islamic State).
“Mubeen had spoken extensively on his intention to commit a suicide terror attack against the ‘kafirs’ (non-believers) and to become a martyr. Mubeen was inspired by the bayans (sermons) of Zahran Hashim, a radical Islamic cleric of Sri Lanka, who masterminded the easter serial suicide bomb attacks in 2019 killing around 260 people. Mubeen wanted to orchestrate a similar kind of attack against the ‘kafirs’ in India,” NIA statement said.
The agency said it recovered handwritten notes from Mubeen’s residence wherein criticism of the existing democratic system, which are not in tandem with Islamic laws, has been mentioned.
“There is also a mention of ‘targets’, including government office buildings, district court, public gathering places like parks, railway stations and few other local temples,” NIA said.
Islamic State of Khorasan Province’s online magazine called ‘Voice of Khorasan’ corroborated this in an article titled, ‘A Message to the Inhabitants in the Land Occupied by Cow and Mice Worshipping Filths’ where ISKP took responsibility for the attack held at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, agency said.
“The article goes on to state that the attack was revenge to uphold the honour of their religion and to establish Allah’s deen and his law upon his land and to terrorize the ‘Kufr’ and its followers with the threat that it was just the beginning,” it said.
Mubeen was aided by associates Mohammed Asarutheen, Mohammed Thalha, Firose Khan, Mohammed Riyas, Navas and Afsar Khan in arranging logistics.
NIA said Thalha had sourced the Maruti 800 blue colour car bearing which was used in the explosion of vehicle-borne IED while Firos, Riyas and Navas had loaded the explosives and gas cylinders in the car making it the potent weapon.
“Asarutheen and Afsar, both cousins of Mubeen had procured, weighed, mixed and packed the chemical constituents used to manufacture the VBIED used in the attack,” agency added.
Earlier, the NIA probed a module of ISIS in Coimbatore, headed by Mohammad Azharuddin in 2018-19 and found that he, along with another associate Sheikh Hidayatullah, was in touch with April 21, 2019, Sri Lanka bombings mastermind – Maulvi Zahran bin Hashim.
Mubeen too used to follow Hashim’s videos and was inspired by him.
Hashim and another Sri Lanka bomber – Mohammad Azaan had even travelled to India in 2017 and 2018 to discuss the plans of Islamic State.
Indian agencies, based on NIA probe into Coimbatore module, had sent three alerts to Sri Lanka security agencies about a plan to carry out a major strike there.
(Hindustan Times)
