NIA arrests four more in TN radicalisation case linked to Coimbatore blast

New Delhi, June 18 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested four more individuals in connection with the Tamil Nadu ISIS radicalisation and recruitment case, which is an offshoot of the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast.

With the latest arrests, the total number of accused apprehended in the case has risen to eight.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Ahmed Ali, Jawahar Sathik, Raja Abdullah alias MAC Raja, and Sheikh Dawood.

According to the NIA, the four were radicalised by Jameel Basha, the founder of the Madras Arabic College, who allegedly used Arabic language classes as a front to propagate Salafi-Jihadi ideology and recruit impressionable youth in Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, the NIA had arrested and filed a chargesheet against Basha and his close associates - Irshath, Syed Abdur Rahman, and Mohammed Hussain.

Investigations revealed that the group exploited both classroom settings and social media platforms to carry out their covert radicalisation and recruitment agenda.

The probe has uncovered that the accused were promoting Khilafat ideology and glorifying martyrdom through jihad. They are accused of encouraging violence and armed rebellion aimed at overthrowing the democratically elected government to establish an Islamic state.

The radical network allegedly cultivated by Basha and his associates is believed to have directly influenced the suicide bombing carried out by Jamesha Mubeen in October 2022.

In that incident, Mubeen drove a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) into a location near an ancient temple in Coimbatore, resulting in a major security scare and triggering a nationwide crackdown on radical terror modules.

The ongoing investigation is registered under case number RC.No.01/2023/NIA/CHE and is part of the NIA’s broader effort to dismantle ISIS-linked radicalisation and recruitment operations in India.

An NIA spokesperson stated that the agency remains committed to curbing extremist activities and safeguarding national security.

--IANS

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