Two more arrested in Coimbatore car bomb blast case, says NIA

New Delhi, Dec 28: Two persons were arrested on Wednesday in connection with a car bomb explosion outside a temple in Tamil Nadu, taking the number of people held in the case to 11, an official of the National Investigation Agency said.

Sheikh Hidayathullah and Sanofar Ali, both residents of Coimbatore, were arrested after the ongoing probe pointed to their involvement in the criminal conspiracy to cause the terror attack, a spokesperson of the NIA said.

The blast in a car laden with explosives outside Kottai Eswaran Temple on October 23 on the eve of Diwali left its driver Jamesha Mubeen, who had joined the global terror group ISIS, dead.
The case was initially registered at Ukkadam police station in Coimbatore district on October 23 and re-registered by the NIA on October 27. Nine accused have been arrested in the case earlier, the spokesperson said.

"Investigations revealed that the arrested persons (Hidayatullah and Ali) had entered into a criminal conspiracy in the interior of forested regions of Asanoor and Kadambur areas of Sathyamangalam forest in Erode district in February.

"The meetings were led by previously arrested accused Umar Farook...where they conspired to prepare for and execute terror acts," the spokesperson said. The aim was to cause extensive damage to the place of worship with the intention to strike terror in the community, the spokesperson said.