Mangaluru blast: Bomb-making materials recovered from Shareeq's house; probe expands to 2 more states

After recovering explosives, nuts and bolts, matchboxes and circuits from the Mangaluru blast suspect Mohammed Shareeq's residence, the Karnataka Police pores over his links with ISIS module. His connection with the recent Coimbatore LPG blast is also being probed.

Mangaluru/Bengaluru/Chennai:Karnataka Police found materials that go into making bomb from the rented house in Mysuru of Mangaluru autorickshaw blast accused Mohammed Shareeq, who was "influenced and inspired" by a global terrorist organisation-ISIS, a senior police officer said on Monday.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Alok Kumar said the police are trying to find out the 24-year old's links with people outside Karnataka. "His handler was Abdul Mateen Taha from Suddaguntepalya (in Bengaluru) on whom the National Investigation Agency has announced a reward of Rs five lakh," the ADGP said.

Shareeq was "influenced and inspired" by a (terrorist) organisation with global presence, Kumar said. Shareeq also spelt as Shariq, hailing from Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district, was travelling in an autorickshaw with a pressure cooker fitted with detonator, wires and batteries, when it exploded on the outskirts of Mangaluru on Saturday. He suffered burn injuries, is currently being treated in a city hospital and unable to speak.

Karnataka police termed the explosion "an act of terror" with intention to cause serious damage. They are probing the incident along with central agencies. "...Our priority is to see that he survives, we have to take him to a stage where we can question him," Kumar said. "We found matchbox, sulphur, phosphorus, batteries, circuit and nut and bolts from the (Shareeq's rented) house (in Mysuru). Mohan Kumar, the owner of the house, was not aware of these activities," Kumar said.

Taha was the "main handler". He along with Khwaja and Mohammed Pasha from Tamil Nadu were booked under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act at Suddaguntepalya in Bengaluru in 2020. Apart from Taha, Arafat Ali from Thirthahalli was also like his handler, he said. Search operations were carried out in seven locations including Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Mysuru and Thirthahalli, the ADGP said. "We are trying to find out those who harboured him," he added.

Probe expands across 2 more southern states

The probe into the November 19 explosion is expanding across two more southern states, as Shareeq is said to have visited Tamil Nadu and Kerala and police teams are looking into possible local accomplices and links to the Thirthalli native.

In Tamil Nadu, police have launched a probe to ascertain whether Shareeq has any accomplices in the state, with Coimbatore recently witnessing a deadly explosion where the victim, also the alleged perpetrator was planning to carry out suicide attacks.

It is now clear that Shariq had bought a SIM card for a mobile phone using the Aadhaar card of a native of Ooty, Surendran, police sources said. Investigations are on to check whether Shariq's stay in September in Coimbatore, which witnessed the blast last month, was part of a larger criminal conspiracy, they said. Meanwhile, in Kerala, a team of Karnataka police officials probing the Mangaluru blast reached Ernakulam to inquire into Shariq's Aluva link.

The police on Monday picked up a person from Bengaluru who was allegedly in touch with the blast accused while another was detained in Nilgiris in neighboring Tamil Nadu and brought to Karnataka.

Mohammad Ruhullah, a native of Mysuru has been picked up in KG Halli area by the Bengaluru police and handed over to their counterparts in Mysuru in connection with the Mangaluru bomb blast, said a police official.

Who is Shareeq?

Shareeq is being booked under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, police sources said. He was also involved in painting objectionable graffiti in Mangaluru earlier and was later released on bail. His name had also earlier surfaced when a communal clash broke out over putting up the Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's photo at a public place on August 15 in the district headquarters town of Shivamogga.

The vandals had gone on a rampage and stabbed Prem Singh, a servant in a nearby shop. In this connection, police arrested Mohammed Zabihulla alias Charbi, Syed Yasin and Maaz Muneer Ahmed while Shareeq absconded. Yasin and Maaz had told police at the time that they were "brainwashed" by Shareeq. The group was planning to set up an Islamic State base in the country and wanted to "establish a Caliphate" in the country.

Bid to establish Caliphate

A messaging services app came handy for Shareeq to establish a link with the Syria-based Islamic State (IS) militants from whom they got a PDF to learn how to make a bomb, a police officer from Shivamogga who investigated the case told PTI. This year, the group prepared an improvised explosive device to carry out destruction and tested it on the banks of Tunga river.

Their next target was to carry out explosions in various parts of Karnataka, the officer said. "Shareeq had made the gang members into believing that the independence India got from the British was not a real one. They need to struggle further to establish a Caliphate. Only then, India will get freedom", the Shivamogga-based terror module members had told the investigating police team then.

"Accused looks like a suicide bomber": Karnataka HM

Meanwhile, Karnata Home Minister Araga Gyanendra said that there is a connection between the trail blast at the Tunga river basin and the Mangalore cooker blast. Speaking to the media at Tirthahalli taluk in Shivamogga district the Minister said that there is a big conspiracy behind the incident adding that the accused had prepared to detonate a bomb and cause several deaths adding that further details will emerge after the injured accused is in a condition to speak.

"Mohammed Shareeq looks like a suicide bomber. A thorough investigation is underway and complete information will come out after the investigation is complete," the minister said.