New Delhi, Sep 9: Two of the key accused involved in the high-profile Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast case were ISIS radicals, and they had earlier conspired to do 'Hijrah' to ISIS territories in Syria, National Investigation Agency (NIA) mentions in a chargesheet.

These radicals, the NIA mentions, were Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taaha. Both the accused were absconding since 2020, after the Al-Hind module was busted. They were arrested from their hideout in West Bengal 42 days after the Rameshwaram cafe explosion.

The NIA investigations revealed that Shazib was the man who had planted the bomb.

"Both Shazib and Taaha, hailing from Shivamogga district of Karnataka, were ISIS radicals and had earlier conspired to do Hijrah to ISIS territories in Syria. They were actively involved in radicalising other gullible Muslim youth to the ISIS ideology, and Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzammil Shareef were among such youth," said the NIA in a statement after filing a chargesheet against four accused on Monday.

Besides Shazib and Taaha, the other two accused are named as Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzammil Shareef. They have been charged under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Actiities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act and Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property (PDLP) Act. All four were earlier arrested and are currently in judicial custody in the case.

The IED explosion, which took place on March 1 this year at the Rameshwaram Cafe, Brookfield, ITPL Bengaluru, had left nine persons injured and extensively damaged the hotel property.

The NIA, which started investigation in the case on March 3, further said that Taaha and Shazib had fraudulently obtained Indian SIM cards and Indian bank accounts and also used various Indian and Bangladeshi Identity documents downloaded from the dark web.

Investigations further revealed that Taaha had been introduced by an ex-convict, Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, to Mohammed Shaheed Faisal, an absconder in the Lashkar-e-Taiba Bengaluru conspiracy case. "Taaha then introduced Faisal, his handler, to Mehaboob Pasha, an accused in the Al-Hind ISIS module case, and to Khaja Mohideen, Amir of ISIS South India, and later also to Maaz Muneer Ahmed," said the NIA.

NIA said that Taaha and Shazib were funded by their handler through crypto currencies, which Taaha converted to Fiat with the help of various Telegram-based P2P platforms.

"The funds were used by the accused to perpetrate various acts of violence in Bengaluru,

These included a failed IED attack at the state BJP Office, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, on the day of Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, after which the two key accused had planned the Rameshwaram cafe blast," added the agency. (ANI)

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