Coimbatore car blast case: NIA files chargesheet against six

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed a chargesheet against six people in the October 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast case.
Mohammed Asarutheen, Mohammed Thalha, Firos, Mohammed Riyas, Navas and Afsar Khan have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Explosives Substances Act and sections 16, 18, 20, 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. However, the charges for the offences committed by Jamesha Mubeen, who was inspired by ISIS ideology, are abetted following his death in the terrorist act.
An explosion had taken place at an ancient temple -- Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil -- at Eswaran Kovil Street, Ukkadam, Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore in October last year.
A vehicle-borne Improvised Explosives Device (V-IED) driven by Jamesha Mubeen went off in front of the temple. Mubeen was killed in the blast.
Investigations had revealed Mubeen was inspired by ISIS ideology to carry out this attack, said the NIA, adding "he had also taken 'bayath' or oath of allegiance to its self-proclaimed Caliph Abu-al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi."
The NIA re-registered the case on October 27 last year and took up the investigation.

"A pen drive recovered from Mohammed Asarutheen contained videos recordings of Jamesha Mubeen, where he had identified himself as a member of Daulat-e-Islamia (or Islamic State). He had spoken extensively on his intention to commit a suicide terror attack against the 'kafirs' (non-believers) and to become a martyr," said the NIA in its chargesheet.
Mubeen was inspired by the bayans (sermons) of Zahran Hashim, a radical Islamic cleric of Sri Lanka, who masterminded the Easter serial suicide bomb attacks in 2019 killing around 260 people, said the agency.
The NIA also pointed that Mubeen wanted to orchestrate a similar kind of attack against the 'kafirs' in India.

"Handwritten notes were recovered from Mubeen's residence wherein criticism of the existing democratic system, which are not in tandem with Islamic laws, has been mentioned. There is also a mention of 'targets', including Government Office buildings, District Court, public gathering places like Parks, Railway station, and a few other local Temples are also mentioned in these notes," the chargesheet states.
"Islamic State of Khorasan Province's online magazine called 'Voice of Khorasan' corroborated this in an article titled, 'A Message to the Inhabitants in the Land Occupied by Cow and Mice Worshipping Filths' where ISKP took responsibility for the attack held at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu," said the NIA.
The article goes on to state that the attack was meant to uphold the honour of their religion and to establish Allah's deen and his law upon his land and to terrorize the 'Kufr' and its followers with the threat that it was just the beginning, said the agency.

"Mubeen was aided and assisted by his associates Mohammed Asarutheen, Mohammed Thalha, Firos, Mohammed Riyas, Navas and Afsar Khan in arranging logistics. Thalha had sourced the Maruti 800 blue colour car bearing registration number TN-01-F-6163 which was used in the explosion of vehicle-borne IED. Firos, Riyas and Navas had loaded the explosives, gas cylinders, etc. in the car making it the potent weapon it became," the agency stated.
Asarutheen and Afsar, both cousins of Mubeen had procured, weighed, mixed and packed the chemical constituents used to manufacture the VBIED used in the attack, it added. (ANI)