Mangaluru bomb blast case : Accused Shariq was in contact with Islamic State

Accused Mohammed Shariq

Mangaluru (Karnataka) – Mohammed Shariq, the accused in the rickshaw bomb blast case, suffered 45% burns. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Alok Kumar informed that Shariq had links with the Islamic State’s overseas handler.

Passenger who carried IED that exploded in #Mangaluru auto-rickshaw is missing accused in terror case#MangaluruAutoBlasthttps://t.co/Dn0bRL8VYU

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) November 20, 2022

1. Alok Kumar said that Shariq is a resident of Shivamogga’s Thirthahalli. Bomb-making materials have been found in his Mysuru rented house. Using a fake Aadhaar card identity, he lived in a rented house. Shariq was influenced by the Islamic State’s ideology. He had contact with the Islamic State. Shariq and two accomplices tested the bomb in a forest on the banks of the Tungabhadra River on 19^th September. He was reported to be absconding on 20^th September when two of his accomplices were arrested – Maaz Ahmed and Syed Yasin. Then he moved to Mysuru. He practiced making bombs there.

2. On the evening of 19^th November, he was travelling to pumpwell by rickshaw while carrying a bomb in a cooker. But while the rickshaw was passing through the Kankanady area, bomb in the cooker exploded and the rickshaw caught fire. He himself and the driver Purushotham was injured.

3. Shariq was arrested earlier in 2022 for painting anti-national graffiti on walls. He was released on bail a few days later.

Editorial viewpoint 

To restrict jihadi activities, it is now necessary to ban all kinds of resources that are responsible for such a jihadi mentality. Now, the Government should discover the root cause of such a mentality and release it publicly.