Coimbatore blast: Police say accused have links to ISIS, suspect Mubin was suicide bomber

Palakkad: Tamil Nadu police say they have evidence to corroborate that all five accused in the Coimbatore car blast case have links to terrorist outfit Islamic State (ISIS). Feroz Ismail, an accused who was close to Jamesha Mubin, who died in the blast, was deported from Dubai in 2019 for alleged links to ISIS. Police say Firoz kept contact with Islamic State even after returning to India.

Coimbatore City Police late on Monday night arrested five men after 25-year-old Jamesha Mubin was burnt to death when the car he was driving exploded at Ukkadam, near the famed Sangameshwarar temple in the city on Sunday morning.

Following this, police nabbed Mohammed Dhalha, Mohammed Azarudeen, Mohammed Riyas, Feroz Ismail, and Mohammed Navaz Ismail. During a search at Mubin's residence, police said they recovered chemicals like potassium nitrate, aluminium, and sulfur, used to make crude bombs.

Police stated there is evidence to prove that Mubin was a suicide bomber. Further, chemicals found on his body aided fire. Officials stated that on October 21, Jamesha Mubin posted a WhatsApp status, requesting forgiveness for the mistakes he made. They say the act resembles ISIS suicide bombers.

Notably, security was also increased in Coimbatore with Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel deployed across the city on Tuesday. The police have deployed RAF to carry out the search and security operations across public areas like bus stands and railway stations.