ISIS radicals behind Rameshwaram cafe blast, targeted BJP office also: NIA

New Delhi : Two of the key accused involved in the high-profile Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast case are ISIS radicals, and they had previously conspired to undertake 'Hijrah' to ISIS territories in Syria, according to a chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The accused, Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taaha, had been absconding since 2020, after the Al-Hind module was dismantled. They were apprehended from their hideout in West Bengal 42 days after the Rameshwaram Cafe explosion.

The NIA investigations revealed that Shazib was the individual who had planted the bomb.

"Both Shazib and Taaha, hailing from Shivamogga district of Karnataka, were ISIS radicals and had previously conspired to undertake Hijrah to ISIS territories in Syria. They were actively involved in radicalizing other gullible Muslim youth to the ISIS ideology, including Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzammil Shareef," said the NIA in a statement following the filing of a chargesheet against four accused on Monday.

In addition to Shazib and Taaha, the other two accused named are Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzammil Shareef. They have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property (PDLP) Act. All four were previously arrested and are currently in judicial custody in the case. The IED explosion, which occurred on March 1 this year at the Rameshwaram Cafe, Brookfield, ITPL Bengaluru, injured nine people and extensively damaged the hotel property.

The NIA, which began its investigation on March 3, further stated that Taaha and Shazib had fraudulently obtained Indian SIM cards and bank accounts, and also used various Indian and Bangladeshi identity documents downloaded from the dark web.

The investigation also revealed that Taaha had been introduced by an ex-convict, Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, to Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, an absconder in the Lashkar-e-Taiba Bengaluru conspiracy case. "Taaha then introduced Faisal, his handler, to Mehaboob Pasha, an accused in the Al-Hind ISIS module case, and to Khaja Mohideen, Amir of ISIS South India, and later also to Maaz Muneer Ahmed," said the NIA. The agency added that Taaha and Shazib were funded by their handler through cryptocurrencies, which Taaha converted to fiat currency with the help of various Telegram-based P2P platforms.

"The funds were used by the accused to perpetrate various acts of violence in Bengaluru, including a failed IED attack at the state BJP office in Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, on the day of the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22, 2024. After this, the two key accused planned the Rameshwaram Cafe blast," added the agency. | ANI