The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed that the 2022 Coimbatore car blast was part of a larger ISIS-backed conspiracy to wage jihad against non-believers, with Hindu temples and Christian churches as potential targets. A total of 17 people have now been arrested in connection with the case, and five more individuals were formally charge-sheeted on Thursday in the agency’s fourth supplementary chargesheet.
The suicide attack, which occurred in October 2022 near the Kottai Sangameshwarar Temple in Coimbatore, killed the bomber, Jamesha Mubeen. Originally reported as a cylinder blast, the incident was later uncovered to be a failed vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) attack. Mubeen, allegedly inspired by ISIS ideology, had packed his car with ball bearings, nails, and other shrapnel to maximize casualties, but the bomb detonated prematurely.
As reported in India Today, according to the NIA, the conspiracy was part of a broader ISIS plot aimed at targeting religious institutions in India. The agency’s findings indicate that the accused held secret meetings in remote forest locations and were actively radicalized to carry out attacks on what they referred to as “kafirs” or non-believers.
A notable revelation in the latest chargesheet is the financing of the terror operation through a fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination certificate racket. The NIA stated that accused Sheikh Hidayathullah, Umar Farooq, and Amir (already charge-sheeted) generated funds by selling fake vaccine certificates, with the scam being facilitated by Pavas Rahman and Sharan Mariappan. The proceeds were used to purchase bomb-making materials. Another accused, Aboo Hanifa, allegedly provided financial assistance for the fake documentation.
The NIA also linked the attack to an act of retaliation for the 2019 arrest of a known Salafi-jihadist. Investigations are still underway to identify and apprehend more individuals involved in the radical network behind the terror plot.
The agency emphasized the premeditated and ideologically-driven nature of the attack, underlining the growing threat of ISIS-inspired terrorism within India’s borders.
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