NIA chargesheets two more accused in the ISIS inspired Coimbatore car bomb blast case

New Delhi, January 29
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) chargesheeted two more accused in the ISIS inspired Coimbatore car bomb blast case of 2022
The supplementary chargesheet filed by NIA names Mohammed Azarudeen alias Azar and Mohammed Idris, both residents of Coimbatore, in the terror attack case. They have been charged under various sections of IPC, UA(P) Act and Explosive Substances Act.
With this, 13 accused have so far been chargesheeted in the case. NIA had earlier chargesheeted a total of 11 persons on 20th April and 2nd June last year.
The case relates to an explosion in front of the ancient Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil Temple at Eswaran Kovil Street in Ukkadam, Coimbatore. The blast got triggered on 23rd October 2022 through a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED), driven by one Jamesha Mubeen who was inspired by hardcore ISIS ideology to commit this horrendous act of terror.
NIA, which had taken up investigations of the case on 27th October, 2022, had found that that Jamesha Mubeen, along with Mohammed Azarudeen, Umar Faaruq, Sheikh Hidayathullah and Sanofer Ali, had conspired to carry out a series of suicidal terror attacks in Coimbatore city following a conspiracy hatched in the forested area of Sathyamangalam region in Erode district of Tamil Nadu. The attack was intended to wreak vengeance on the Kafirs (non-believers), as stated in one of the self-made confessional videos made by the accused a few days before the attack.
Azarudeen, who acted as a pedagogue to the module involved in the attack, was earlier arrested in NIA case for indoctrination of his followers in ISIS ideology and in connection with NTJ module of Sri Lanka, which was responsible for the 2019 Easter Blast attacks.
According to the NIA, Azarudeen had motivated three other accused who met him in Viyyur HSP while he was in Prison. This led to the subsequent Sathyamangalam Conspiracy meeting, resulting in the planning and preparation of the instant terror attack. Umar Faaruq was elected as the Amir to lead the execution.
Mohammed Idris, who was part of the module of Azarudeen and was radicalized in ISIS and by ‘bayans’ of accused Zahran Hashim, was tasked with purchasing a used vehicle for the blast and to assist the main accused in the attack.
The larger aim of the conspiracy was to create terror in the minds of a section of the society by targeting its various branches, i.e., general administration, police, judiciary, etc.