The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday said it has charge-sheeted four accused in an ISIS radicalisation and recruitment case. This case, which originated in Tamil Nadu, is an offshoot of the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast case.

The accused have been identified as Jameel Basha, Mohammed Hussain, Irshath, and Syed Abdur Rahman, the NIA said. In April, the agency had charge-sheeted 14 accused in the blast case.

They have been charge-sheeted under sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The chargesheet relates to a case filed suo-motu by the NIA Chennai branch in August 2023, based on the findings from the Coimbatore car bomb blast case.

The agency said that during its investigation into the explosion outside a temple in Coimbatore, it found that most of the accused were allegedly involved in recruiting gullible youth to join ISIS for unlawful and terrorist activities.

The alleged religious indoctrination was carried out by the accused at an Arabic language centre in Coimbatore called Madras Arabic College, later renamed Kovai Arabic College, the NIA said.

Jameel Basha was identified as the patron and chief mentor, guiding his alumni to establish Arabic language centres at the district level. The centre in Coimbatore was set up by Mohammed Hussain and Irshath. Social media platforms and classroom sessions were used to radicalise youth at these centres, where Jameel Basha’s live or pre-recorded sermons were aired to the students, the agency added.

The NIA said that the vehicle-borne IED attack outside the Coimbatore temple was part of the "violent jihad" promoted by the accused. The deceased accused, Jamesha Mubeen, who had pledged allegiance to Darul-e-Islam/ISIS, allegedly carried out the IED blast as part of ISIS's anti-India campaign after being radicalised by Syed Abdur Rahman.

Image source: ANI