As radical as it gets: Islamists in Coimbatore, TN have merged to target Hindus, temples

In the Coimbatore cylinder blast case, the deceased connect with the Al Ummah is quite clear. Now the probe is on to find the Islamic State angle as well.

New Delhi, Oct 26: The Coimbatore police have invoked the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA a day after Jameesha Mubin (25) died in a cylinder blast outside the famous 'Kottai Eshwaran Temple'.

Jameesha Mubin, the deceased, was in fact questioned by the National Investigation Agency in 2019 for his alleged ties with a radical network that was behind the Colombo serial blasts.

The police have also arrested Mohammad Dhalha (25), Mohammad Azarudheen (25), Mohammad Riyaz (27), Feroz Ismail (27), and Mohammad Navaz Ismail (27), of GM Nagar from Coimbatore district.

There is a demand for a probe by the National Investigation Agency in the incident has all the signs of a suicide bombing. This also brings back memories of the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts aimed at targeting BJP leader L K Advani. Following this, S A Basha the founder of the Al Ummah was among the 180 arrested and convicted by the courts. 60 died in the blast while 220 were injured.

Following the Sunday blasts, searches were conducted at the residences of those associated with the Al Ummah. The house of Basha's brother Nawab Khan too was searched. Khan is currently in jail for his role in the 1998 blasts.

The police also questioned Khan's son, Mohammed Thalka. An official tells OneIndia that it may not be a mere co-incidence that the son of a co-accused in the 1998 blast is an accused in the 2022 case.

What has made the case even murkier is the WhatsApp status of Mubin before his death written in Tamil and loosely translated to English read, "if the news about my death reaches you, forgive me for my mistakes. Forgive my shortcomings and particulate in my Janaza and pray for me."

The investigators have also found documents from Mubin's home in which several spots were mentioned which they had planned on carry out a recce. The Victoria Hall Railway Station, Race course were among some of the places they had planned to reduce.

DGP Sylendra Babu said that during the searches at Mubin's home in the Kottaimedu area in Ukkadam, they recovered potassium nitrate, aluminium, and sulfur, which are used to make crude bombs. "We have also recovered nails and ball bearing from the spot where the explosion happened," he said.

Ukkadam is an extremely sensitive area and has a Muslim majority.

While the Al Ummah connect is quite clear, the police are probing the Islamic State angle as well. An Intelligence Bureau official says many terror groups such as the Al Ummah have merged with the Islamic State.

The infiltration of the Islamic State into Coimbatore and various parts of Tamil Nadu has been going on for long. Groups such as the Al Ummah and Base Movement have merged with the Islamic State and that did not take too long to happen due to very similar ideologies.

The primary objective is to target Hindus and temples while also attempting to establishing Islamic rule. In September the Tamil Nadu police had issued a stern warning amidst the rising attacks on the BJP and RSS leaders in the state.

Petrol bombs have been used to attack BJP and RSS leaders in Coimbatore, Ramanathapuram, Thiruppur, Kanyakumari and Salem. Attacks on functionaries of the RSS and BJP in Tamil Nadu are nothing new.

It may be recalled that back in 2014, the police had arrested four persons in connection with the murder of Suresh Kumar, a Hindu Munnani leader. The state has had the presence of outfits such as Al Umma, Al-Badr, SIMI for long. Today all these groups have merged into the Islamic State, the official cited above also said.