The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested one more person for alleged role in the car blast in front of Sangameswarar temple in here on October 23 last year, taking the total number of persons arrested in the case to 12.
The accused, Mohammed Idris (25) of G.M. Nagar near Ukkadam in Coimbatore, was a close friend of Jameesha Mubin, the alleged mastermind of the car blast in front of the temple at Kottaimedu.
Sources said that Idris was part of the criminal conspiracy that led to the car blast which claimed the life of Mubin. NIA sleuths made out the role of Idris in the conspiracy, after examining his call detail records and confessions of other accused.
They added that the NIA summoned Idris to its temporary office here on Monday. He was directed to appear on Tuesday morning. The NIA arrested Idris after another round of questioning and took him to Chennai. The agency is expected to produce him before the NIA special court at Poonamallee on Wednesday.
The NIA filed a chargesheet against six accused in the case against Mohammed Azharudheen, Muhammed Thalha, Firos Ismal, Muhammed Riyas, Nawaz Ismail and Afsar Khan on April 20. The agency filed a supplementary chargesheet against five others, namely Umar Farooq, Firoz Khan, Mohammed Thoufiq, Sheik Hidayathullah and Sanofar Ali on June 2.
According to the NIA, the accused operated an Islamic State (IS) module inspired by Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of the Easter 2019 bombings in Sri Lanka. Mubin, the mastermind of the car bomb explosion, wanted to orchestrate an attack similar to the Easter Sunday bombings.
