NIA arrests 13th accused in ISIS-inspired Coimbatore bomb blast case

Chennais: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key conspirator at a prison in Kerala in the 2022 Diwali eve car bomb case in Coimbatore, which revealed terror links in it. In a statement NIA said “another accused linked with the ISIS-inspired car IED bomb blast of Coimbatore for his involvement in the 2022 terror network. The arrested person was Mohd Azharudeen alias Azar is the 13th accused to be arrested in the case which the NIA has taken over and re-registered on October 27 last year.

Azharudeen is already in jail at the Vyyur high security prison in Thrissur in Kerala in another case. He was also arrested and chargesheeted earlier in the Tamil Nadu ISIS module case and was subsequently sent into judicial custody. Investigations revealed that Azharudeen had previously taken secret “bayan” classes along with the accused in the Coimbatore blast case, including Jameesha Mubin, the vehicle’s driver who was killed in the explosion when the LPG cylinder carried in the car loaded with explosives, exploded in front of a temple.

The NIA said Azharuddeen was also chargesheeted in the case. NIA said said it was in these bayan classes that all the accused were indoctrinated with ISIS ideology and motivated to commit violent acts of terror. NIA said during the course of further investigation, it found that Jameesha Mubin along with two other arrested accused, had met Mohd Azharudeen in prison, where they hatched the Sathyamangalam conspiracy (the car bomb blast plan was concretised) to plan and prepare a terror attack to revamp Azar’s arrest and to get him released from Jail through a jail attack.

The NIA said the Coimbatore car bomb blast took place on October 23 last year in front of an ancient temple, Arulmigu Kottai Sangameswarar Thirukovil at Eswaran Kovil street, Ukkadam (a communally sensitive area in the Textile City). The vehicle-borne IED was being driven by the deceased accused Jameesha Mubeen, who and his associates were inspired by hardcore ISIS ideology to conspire and commit the act of terror after taking ‘Bayath’ or allegiance to its self-proclaimed Caliph Abu-Al Hassan Al-Hashmi Al-Quarashi.

As per NIA investigations, the accused had intended to take revenge on the Kafirs (non-believers of Islam) through this terror attack. The NIA has so far filed tow chargesheets in the case before the NIA Court Poonamallee in Chennai and six accused were chargesheeted on April 20 this year and five more on June two. The 12th accused Mohammed d Idris was arrested on August two.

UNI