The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a supplementary chargesheet against seven individuals and the Kovai Arabic Educational Association (KAEA) in connection with the 2022 car-bomb blast in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The agency alleged that the accused radicalized youth under the pretext of offering “free Arabic classes” and motivated them to engage in terrorist activities.
Earlier, a chargesheet had been filed against four accused, including Jameel Basha, the principal of Madras Arabic College.
The NIA’s Chennai unit took cognizance of the case in August 2023. Investigations revealed that out of the 18 accused involved in the blast, 14 were students of KAEA.
The seven accused named in the supplementary chargesheet are Mohammad Hussain, Irshath, Ahmed Ali, Abu Hanifa, Jawahar Sadiq, Sheikh Dawood, and Raja Mohammad. Among them, Mohammad Hussain and Irshath had already been named in the original chargesheet. The KAEA has also been named as a legal entity in the case.
The probe found that the accused used platforms like Zoom, WhatsApp, and Telegram to influence young people. The agency stated that this action is aimed at completely dismantling such networks. The investigation is ongoing.
