NIA arrests Palakkad man for planning suicide attack in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a Palakkad resident for allegedly planning a suicide attack in Kerala. The accused Aboobacker Siddique confirmed the NIA’s suspicion when he confessed that he intended to carry out a suicide bombing in Kerala. He would be produced before an NIA court in Kochi on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old man confessed to police that he had got advice from Syria and Afghanistan to plan an attack in Kerala on the New Year day. He was planning to attack Kochi, as it is one of the leading tourist destinations in Kerala.

Siddique revealed to the NIA that he had online contacts with Abdul Rashid Abdulla and Abdul Khayoom. Abdulla is suspected to be a recruiter of ISIS. Khayoom is accused in the Valapattanam ISIS case. Khayoom is believed to be in Syria.

According to sources, Siddique had been watching videos and listening to speeches of Zahran Hashim, the mastermind behind the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka. On April 28, the NIA had conducted raids at three places, two in Kasaragod and one in Palakkad.

Siddique and Kasaragod native Ahamed Arafat were later taken into custody for further investigation. Later, the NIA arrested Siddique.

Earlier, in 2016, 15 persons had disappeared from Kasaragod and allegedly joined ISIS. A case was registered with 14 of the accused alleged to have migrated to Afghanistan and one to Syria.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan police have arrested 106 suspects, including a teacher at a Tamil medium school, and a principal, in connection with the Easter Sunday blasts.

Of the 106 people arrested, a 40-year-old Tamil medium school teacher was found in possession of 50 SIM cards and other incriminating items, the Sri Lankan media reported. The teacher was held following a joint operation conducted by the Kalpitiya Police and the Sri Lankan Navy.

Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.