The arrested individuals — Ahmed Ali, Jawahar Sathik, Raja Abdullah alias MAC Raja, and Sheik Dawood — were allegedly radicalised by Jameel Basha, founder of the Madras Arabic College.
Published Jun 19, 2025 | 10:39 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 19, 2025 | 10:39 AM
NIA. (Wikimedia)
Synopsis: The NIA arrested four more individuals in connection with the Tamil Nadu Radicalisation and Recruitment case, a spin-off investigation from the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast. With these arrests, the total number of accused in the case has risen to eight.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Wednesday, 18 June, that it arrested four more individuals in connection with the Tamil Nadu Radicalisation and Recruitment case, a spin-off investigation from the 2022 Coimbatore car bomb blast. With these arrests, the total number of accused in the case has risen to eight.
The arrested individuals — Ahmed Ali, Jawahar Sathik, Raja Abdullah alias MAC Raja, and Sheik Dawood — were allegedly radicalised by Jameel Basha, founder of the Madras Arabic College.
Basha and his associates are accused of using Arabic language classes to spread Salafi-Jihadi ideology and recruit youngsters.
Earlier, the NIA had arrested Jameel Basha, along with Irshath, Syed Abdur Rahman, and Mohammed Hussain, for using classrooms and social media platforms for anti-national activities and jihadist recruitment.
Investigations revealed the group promoted Khilafat ideology, martyrdom through jihad, and advocated violent overthrow of the democratically elected government to establish an Islamic state.
The recruitment network is linked to the 2022 Coimbatore car blast carried out by suicide bomber Jamesha Mubeen, who detonated a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) near an ancient temple.
Initially, the explosion was claimed to be caused by a gas cylinder blast. However, further investigations by the NIA exposed the deeper radical terror plot behind the incident.
The NIA had arrested 18 people in connection with the Coimbatore car bomb blast. The central anti-terror probe agency had also found how the 23 October 2022 ISIS-inspired car blast was funded.
The conspiracy to carry out the explosion was reportedly hatched in the Sathyamangalam forests in the Erode district. NIA had earlier said that before carrying out the attack, Mubeen had sworn allegiance by giving “bayath” (a solemn promise) to Abu-Al-Hasan Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi, the then self-styled Calipha of the IS.
(With inputs from Subash Chandra Bose.)
