NIA files chargesheet against two in IS-backed Mangaluru cooker blast

Mangaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against two accused in the Islamic State-sponsored pressure cooker blast that occurred at Nagori in Mangaluru on November 19 , 2022.

One of the accused, Mohammed Shariq, was carrying the pressure cooker IED ((improvised explosive device) in an auto rickshaw when it exploded, injuring auto driver Purushotham and himself. The investigation revealed that he had planned to plant the IED at Kadri Manjunatha Temple with an aim to create terror among the Hindu community, but the low-intensity bomb accidentally exploded on the way.

The NIA said that a case in this regard was registered on November 23 and Mohamed Shariq was arrested by the NIA in July 2023 along with his co -accused Syed Shariq.

According to the investigations, the duo, along with an online handler— had planned the explosion as a part of a conspiracy to establish a Caliphate (Sharia law), said the NIA in its release posted on X handle.

As part of the conspiracy, Mohamed Shariq prepared the pressure cooker IED and Syed Yasin— another accused provided material support for the same. The NIA said Mohamed Shariq first came on the radar of security forces in November 2020 when he was arrested by the police for painting a pro-terror graffiti in Mangaluru city.

He and his associates had put up the graffiti in support of the global terror outfit, the Islamic State.

Subsequently, Mohamed Shariq was also named in the Shivamogga Islamic State conspiracy case of 2022, in which 10 accused have been arrested so far. Of the 10 arrested, nine including Mohamed Shariq and Syed Yasin were chargesheeted on June 30 for radicalising and recruiting gullible Muslim youths, raising funds and conducting trial blasts to further the anti-India activities of the Islamic State, said the NIA.

Shariq who seriously suffered burn injuries following the blast was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mangaluru and was shifted to Bengaluru for further treatment on December 17, 2022.