Rameshwaram cafe blast: NIA probe connects suspects to Pakistan, ISIS

Bengaluru: The National Investigation Agency (NIA)'s investigation into Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe blast has revealed that the jailed suspected terrorists' have links with Pakistan and the global terror outfit ISIS, reported IANS on Friday. The terrorists received instructions from Pakistan to carry out subversive activities in India, said NIA. 

The main operative in the cafe blast case is reportedly still missing and is suspected to be in Pakistan, sources confirmed. 

The probe has revealed that a group of six were involved in the blast, and all of them were connected to ISIS. Among them, Mussavir Hussain Shazib, Abdul Matheen Taha, Maaz Muneer Ahmed and another were trained to prepare bombs by the terror outfit.

The training lasted for a week, after which the suspects purchased raw materials online and prepared the bomb in a span of seven days. They then placed it at the cafe and near the BJP headquarters. The location of the blast was decided first and only then the explosive was prepared, sources told IANS. 

Abdul Mateen Taha, one of the terror suspects from Thirthahalli, Shivamogga district, had come to Bengaluru in 2012 for engineering studies at Whitefield locality. In his second year, he dropped out and moved to Gurappanapalya. Through the internet, he became involved with jihadist ideologies.

Taha was initially connected with Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, who was accused in a 2012 targeted killing case and was sentenced to five years of imprisonment by an NIA Special Court. After his release in 2017, Taha met Shoaib again, expressing an interest in joining ISIS. Taha reportedly contacted the jailed terror suspect Faizal, known as Mohammad Shahid Faizal, through the dark web, and in 2018, got involved with an organisation called Al Hind Trust, which aimed at radicalising youth.

Taha radicalised his friend Hussain Shazib from Thirthahalli. The two began working for Al Hind Trust, actively recruiting others for the organisation's agenda. In 2020, after a case was registered against Al Hind Trust for alleged terrorist activities, both Taha and Shazib left Bengaluru. Shazib and Taha planned to set off bombs near BJP offices in Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, on January 22, 2024, coinciding with the Ram Mandir inauguration. The attempt was foiled as the area had a heavy police presence.

The bomb planted at the BJP office did not explode and was also not found. After several failed attempts in other locations, the suspects targeted a popular cafe in Bengaluru. Mussavir Hussain Shazib was captured on CCTV entering the cafe on February 29, carrying a bag with an IED set with a 90-minute timer. He left the cafe at 11.55 am, and the bomb exploded at 1.07 pm, injuring several people.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on September  9 filed a chargesheet against four accused in connection with the blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe that took place on March 1. Four accused -- Mussavir Hussain Shazib, Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taaha, Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzammil Shareef -- have been charged under sections of IPC, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) UA(P) Act, Explosive Substances Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDLP) Act.

"Taaha and Shazib were funded by their handler through cryptocurrencies, which Taaha converted through Faisal with the help of various Telegram-based platforms," the NIA chargesheet read. The funds were used by the accused to perpetrate various acts of violence in Bengaluru, the investigation further revealed. All four suspects have been arrested and are currently in custody in connection with the blast.

The explosion, which took place on March 1 at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Brookfield, Bengaluru, had left nine persons injured besides causing damage to the interior and infrastructure at the hotel. 
(With inputs from IANS.)