NIA Charges Five in Coimbatore Bombing Case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted five individuals for their involvement in the ISIS-inspired Coimbatore car bomb explosion of 2022. The charges include terror financing linked to the attack on a Hindu temple. This brings the total accused to seventeen in the ongoing investigation.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its probe into the ISIS-inspired Coimbatore car bomb attack by filing a fresh chargesheet against five individuals. This development, announced on Thursday, highlights ongoing efforts to dismantle terror links following the 2022 explosion.

The five accused—Sheikh Hidayathullah, Umar Faaruq, Pavas Rahman, Sharan Mariappan, and Aboo Hanifa—face charges related to terror financing and involvement in the conspiracy. The NIA's extensive investigation reveals that these figures played active roles in an elaborate scheme that funded the attack on the Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil Hindu temple via fraudulent Covid vaccine certificates.

Accused orchestrated meetings in high-security zones, including Viyyur prison, to avenge the incarceration of a key leader, Mohammed Azharuddin, apprehended in 2019. The suicide bomber responsible, Jamesha Mubeen, had extremist links, pledging allegiance to ISIS before executing the attack that claimed his life in October 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)