NE NEWS SERVICE
COIMBATORE, DEC 30
The National Investigation Agency arrested two more persons in relation with the Coimbatore car blast case. The agency had earlier arrested nine persons in relation to the case. In a release, the agency identified the suspects as Sheikh Hidayathullah and Sanofar Ali, both from Coimbatore on Wednesday.
NIA arrests another 2 operatives in connection with Coimbatore Car Bomb Blast case pic.twitter.com/kF71zPRRYw
— NIA India (@NIA_India) December 30, 2022
“Investigations have revealed that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy in the interior of forested regions of Asanoor and Kdambur areas of Sathyamangalam forests in Erode in February 2022,” the agency said.
The accused conspired to prepare and execute terror acts, the agency charged. On October 23, a day before Diwali, an explosive-laden car driven by a radicalised Muslim youth, Jamesha Mubin, blasted in front of the Kottai Easwaran temple in Coimbatore. Reportedly, a cylinder inside the car blasted killing Mubin. The case was transferred to the NIA by the state government.
In a preliminary investigation, NIA said that the accused were planning to conduct suicidal attacks to strike terror among people of a particular faith. NIA earlier conducted searches at 43 locations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and seized digital evidence and incriminating documents.
The agency found that the accused persons conspired with deceased Jamesha Mubeen to procure different chemicals and other ingredients for manufacturing IEDs. The purchases were made through online shopping platforms to commit sensational terrorist acts, NIA said.