The 25-year-old man who died in a blast outside a temple on Sunday in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, was questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2019 for his connections to a terrorist network linked to Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, as per reports.
The death of Jameesha Mubin caused by an LPG cylinder blast on board a car has now sparked an probe into a possible terror plot angle.
— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) October 25, 2022
There’s also a link to a radical network related to Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of Easter Sunday blasts in Sri Lanka
https://t.co/xSjkz70sV0
According to an Indian Express report citing a source, Mubin was investigated by the NIA in 2019. “He was one among the five people we had to examine in 2019 since he had been attending Bayan classes at a Coimbatore mosque of the Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ). These classes were closely related to Mohammed Azarudeen, who had direct contact with Zahran Hashim, the mastermind and the leader of the suicide bombers in Easter Sunday blasts in Sri Lanka,” the source said.
Mubin was radicalised by Islamic state ideas, planned Sri Lanka Easter bombings-style attack
According to preliminary investigation reports cited by India Today, Mubin was radicalised by Islamic state ideas and was preparing an Easter bombings-style attack (2019 attacks that shook Sri Lanka) in Coimbatore, with plans to launch from Konniyamman temple or Kotta Eswaran temple.
Additionally, according to sources, he was formerly on the Tamilnadu police’s target list for attempting to blast an explosive a few years back. Because there wasn’t enough proof at the time, he wasn’t detained or arrested. Mubin is also said to be associated with Mohammed Azarudeen, who is currently incarcerated in Kerala due to his affiliation with ISIS.
Following the Sri Lankan bombings in a series, Azarudeen was arrested on many charges due to his complicity in the recruitment of several Tamil and Keralan youths. According to reports, he was an important member of the Tamil Nadu unit of the Islamic State.
Recovery of explosive substances
Mubin had two LPG cylinders in his car, along with other things like nails, when it exploded at 4 AM on Sunday. Because the explosion happened close to a temple, suspicions were heightened once the authorities discovered additional information about Mubin. In a subsequent operation, investigators found explosive materials like potassium nitrate, aluminium powder, sulphur, and charcoal in Mubin’s residence.
Coimbatore blast a possible “Fidayeen attack”
Reports are now emerging of Intelligence Agencies speculating that the blast was not detonation by mistake, however, was a confirmed “Fidayeen attack” or terrorist attack. According to an exclusive report by News18, several explosive items like Potassium nitrate, sulphate etc have been recovered from the house of Jamesha Mubin, the terrorist who was in the car that exploded.
Reportedly, on his phone display picture, Mubin had written, “if the news about my death reaches you, forgive my mistakes, hide my shortcomings, participate in Janaasa and pray for me”, the location of the explosion in the close proximity of a Hindu temple, the timing and other details have added to the suspicions that this was a terror attack.
Five more arrested including Feroz Ismail and Mohammed Navaz Ismail
On October 25, Coimbatore police said that five suspects in the cylinder blast case had been taken into custody, namely, Mohammed Talka, Mohammed Azarudeen, Mohammed Riyas, Feroz Ismail, and Mohammed Navaz Ismail.
Tamil Nadu | 5 people have been arrested in connection with the death of a man in a car cylinder blast. Investigation in the case is underway: Coimbatore City Police https://t.co/6Bmfa3KWcZ
— ANI (@ANI) October 25, 2022
The police investigating the incident are now apparently looking into the identity of four more people who are seen on CCTV footage loading the cylinders onto the car. Additionally, there are speculations that the NIA may seize control of the incident’s probe.
Following the incident, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai asserted that it was not an accident but rather a planned terror attack with ties to the Islamic State. He said that the DMK-led government in Tamil Nadu is withholding information about the incident.
Notably, Ukkadam is considered to be a sensitive area and has a Muslim-majority population. The blast on Sunday took place outside the famous ‘Kottai Eshwaran Temple.’ Since then, the police have been on high alert, and additional police personnel were deployed across Coimbatore, considering Diwali.
