The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Thaha Nazeer in connection with the car bomb explosion in Coimbatore. Nazeer, employed as a painter at an automobile sales and service company, had a prior encounter with Jamesha Mubeen, the terror suspect who died in the blast outside Kottai Easwaran Temple in Coimbatore.
Nazeer is now the 15th individual to be detained in connection with the case and is suspected of having prior knowledge of the explosion. The NIA has submitted two chargesheets encompassing a total of 11 accused.
Nazeer was taken into custody on Thursday and presented before a special court handling NIA cases in Poonamallee, Chennai, on Friday (3 November 2023)
NIA Makes 15th Arrest In ISIS-Inspired Car Bomb Blast Case In Coimbatore pic.twitter.com/HNbfMbx05i
— NIA India (@NIA_India) November 4, 2023
According to Times of India, Nazeer and Jamesha Mubeen, a 29-year-old resident of Kottaimedu, had met at least three to four days before the car bomb detonation. Their meeting took place at a rental house on HMPR Street in Kottaimedu, where they conversed for over an hour. Significantly, their interaction occurred in a room containing carton boxes with explosive materials. Nazeer encountered Mubeen once again at the same location, just one day prior to the car explosion, during which Mubeen lost his life.
Mubeen’s widow disclosed their meeting with Nazeer during her statement to a judicial magistrate. Subsequently, Nazeer was detained by the NIA based on this revelation. Sources also suggest that Nazeer had prior knowledge of the car bomb explosion. Additionally, Nazeer and Mohammed Thoufiq (25) of Podanur were childhood friends, with the local police having arrested Thoufiq in the aftermath of the car bomb explosion. Reportedly, Mubeen had handed Thoufiq a handwritten document detailing the bomb-making process.
The NIA had filed two chargesheets, one on April 20 and the other on June 2, implicating a total of six accused individuals in this case.
The 2022 Coimbatore Bomb Blast Terror Attack
The 2022 Coimbatore Bomb Blast is a terrorist attack where an LPG cylinder burst inside a Maruti 800 car at around 4.30 am on 23 October 2022, causing the vehicle to explode. The vehicle carrying the improvised explosive device was driven by Jamesha Mubeen. The blast happened outside the famous Kottai Eshwaran Temple. The explosion was initially believed to be an accident but a thorough investigation into the incident, revealed that the cylinder explosion was a terrorist attack committed by Islamic terrorists during the Diwali festival. Nails and ball bearings supposedly meant for inflicting maximum casualties were also recovered from the spot. Investigtors had recovered handwritten paper documents recovered from the house of Jamesha Mubeen listing the popular spots in Coimbatore that they had plans to recce or were already done. Chemicals used for making crude bombs were also found at his house.
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