**Title:** NIA Uncovers ISIS Plans for Attacks on Non-Believer Worship Sites
**Meta Description:** The NIA reveals ISIS’s ongoing plots to attack non-believer worship sites in India, linking them to radicalization and retaliation efforts.
**URL Slug:** nia-isis-attacks-non-believers-india
**Headline:** NIA Exposes ISIS’s Ongoing Threats to Non-Believer Worship Sites in India
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reported that the Islamic State (ISIS) is actively orchestrating attacks on places of worship belonging to non-believers, referred to as ‘kafirs’. This initiative is part of a larger strategy to propagate Salafi jihad throughout India. NIA sources indicate that these plots are designed to incite sectarian violence and retaliate against the arrests of individuals linked to ISIS.
Investigators have connected the 2022 car bomb explosion in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, to this pattern of radicalization and vengeance. The blast, which resulted in the death of suicide bomber Jamesha Mubeen, was reportedly a response to the 2019 arrest of Salafi extremist Mohammed Azharuddin by the NIA. Mubeen had allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS’s self-proclaimed Caliph, Abu-Al-Hasan Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi, and intended to target non-believers in accordance with extremist beliefs.
Recently, the NIA filed its fourth supplementary charge sheet in this case, adding five more individuals to the list of those charged, bringing the total to seventeen. The newly named individuals include Sheikh Hidayathullah, Umar Faarug, Pavas Rahman, Sharan Mariappan, and Aboo Hanifa. The latest charge sheet also presents new allegations of terror financing against Hidayathullah and Faarug, who were previously implicated in related offenses.
According to the NIA, Hidayathullah and Faarug orchestrated a fraudulent COVID-19 vaccine certificate scheme in 2021 and 2022, using the proceeds to finance the acquisition of explosive materials and logistical support for the car bomb. Rahman and Mariappan are accused of facilitating this scam, while Hanifa allegedly provided financial backing for the creation of the fake certificates.
Prior to the attack, the accused reportedly convened conspiracy meetings at Viyyur High-Security Prison and in the Sathyamangalam Reserve Forest. The NIA asserts that their objective was to retaliate against Azharuddin’s arrest and to further disseminate Salafi-Jihadist propaganda under the ISIS banner.
Jamesha Mubeen executed the suicide bombing using a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) concealed within a modified Maruti car. Following Mubeen’s death in the attack, charges against him have been formally abated.
**FAQ Section:**
**Q: What is the NIA’s role in combating ISIS activities in India?**
A: The NIA investigates and prosecutes individuals involved in terrorism-related activities, including those linked to ISIS, to prevent attacks and ensure national security.
