NIA registers case in 'IS-linked' Coimbatore car blast, 6 held
India's primary counter-terrorist task force, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday registered a case in the Coimbatore car blast in Tamil Nadu which occurred on Sunday. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the NIA to take over the case on Wednesday night as the case has reportedly strong Islamic State (IS) links and is suspected to be a terror attack.
Why does this story matter?
The IS is a Salafist terrorist organization and an unrecognized former quasi-state. A suicide bomber of the IS was arrested in Russia in August, who was said to be plotting a terrorist attack against one of India's leadership elite. Two weeks prior to that, the NIA arrested an engineering student from New Delhi's Batla House on suspicion of being an active IS member.
Driver charred to death inside car
A day before Diwali, a Maruti 800 car carrying two LPG cylinders exploded near Kottai Eswaran temple at Ukkadam in Coimbatore. The person driving the car, Jameesha Mubin (28), was charred to death in the blast. A purported CCTV footage from the previous night showed Mubin and others carrying some heavy objects wrapped in a white cloth from his house to the street.
Accused linked to Sri Lanka's Easter bombings
Five people were arrested in the case on Monday night under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). A sixth suspect named Afsar Khan was held on Thursday on suspicion of buying explosive material from e-commerce platforms. Mubin and the other suspects were in contact with one Mohammed Azharuddin, who is currently jailed for his alleged connection to the 2019 Easter bombings in Sri Lanka.
BJP trying to corner Tamil Nadu's incumbent DMK government
Low-intensity explosive materials recovered from Mubin's house
Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Sylendra Babu said that on searching Mubin's house, some low-intensity explosive compounds were recovered such as potassium nitrate, aluminum powder, charcoal, and sulfur, which is used in making crude bombs, apart from nails and marbles.
Some accused visited Kerala: Coimbatore commissioner
The NIA interrogated Mubin in 2019 over alleged terror links. He was put on a watch list after the NIA sniffed up the purported Tamil Nadu-Kerala ISIS module following the Easter bombings which killed over 300 people. The IS had claimed responsibility for the attack. The Coimbatore Commissioner, Balakrishnan said that some of the accused in the case had visited Kerala earlier.
