NIA digs out more Jihadi links of terrorist killed in Coimbatore blast

The National Investigation Agency has dug out further details into the Jihadi links of terrorist Jameza Mubin who was killed in the car explosion in front of Sangameshwarar Temple in Coimbatore.

In its First Information Report (FIR) based on Tamil Nadu Police investigations and recoveries, the agency detailed the proceeds of the searches carried out at the premises of 29-year-old radical Islamist Mubin, who was driving the Maruti car which caught fire after explosion, leading to his death.

According to sources, Mubin was reported to be in touch with ISIS module head Mohammad Azharuddin in Coimbatore, who is currently in jail.  He was also questioned by the NIA in 2018 over alleged links to terror groups, and the Indian intelligence agencies had alerted Sri Lanka about possible terror strikes in the island nation.

After the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings there, the NIA during investigations had learnt that Azharuddin and his associate Sheikh Hidayatullah were in touch with Sri Lankan bombing mastermind Maulvi Zahran bin Hashim and were planning similar strikes in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Police has recovered from Mubin’s premises materials potassium nitrate, black powder, cracker fuse, nitro-glycerin, red phosphorus and PETN powder that are used for making bombs.

The NIA has also seized notebooks with details of Islamic ideology and details about jihad. The Central agency had registered an FIR on October 27 and has so far arrested six suspects in the case.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi has criticised the government for the delay in handing over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Speaking at an event in Coimbatore on Friday, the Governor said the materials used in the blast and those recovered during the investigations, including “IED-making chemicals and ingredients” suggest that the incident was a terror attack.

Ravi said “Coimbatore is a known place for hatching terror modules”.