India: A terror investigation into a Diwali-eve car explosion near a Tamil Nadu temple

24X7 Voice 9, Coimbatore (India): After an LPG cylinder explosion inside a moving car blew up the vehicle in front of a temple in Coimbatore early on Sunday, killing the driver, a 21-year-old engineer whom the NIA had questioned in 2019 on suspicion of having connections with people named in some cases, Tamil Nadu launched a terror investigation. It seemed doubtful that the dead, Jameesha Mubin, had attempted a suicide bombing near the temple in Muslim-dominated Kottaimedu, according to DGP C Sylendra Babu.

There were two cylinders in the car, and one of them may have exploded at around 4 a.m. as a result of a gas leak, according to authorities. Police were monitoring a checkpoint nearby when the explosion may have happened just as the motorist tried to accelerate away. The DGP stated, "Except for the signboard outside the grounds, there was no damage to the temple."

A terror investigation was launched after marbles and nails were discovered scattered inside the wrecked car and at the explosion site. A search of the late Jameesha Mubin's city home turned up an unknown quantity of potassium nitrate, aluminium powder, sulphur, and charcoal that the police believe were intended to be used in the making of explosives. The DGP said Mubin might have been carrying a bagful of nails and marbles to his house as part of preparations for some "future sabotage activity."

Some people were held by the police, including a Coonoor resident who had been in contact with the young man. The DGP repeated that the investigation thus far appeared to indicate that the explosion's proximity to the temple was really a coincidence.

Mubin was in communication with a few people while remaining undetected by the police, despite the fact that he had no open police charges against him and was not known to be a member of any organization. Without naming them, the DGP claimed that these contacts were part of specific organizations. Six police teams were created to look into several issues, including Mubin's family history, the car's owner, and the origin of the LPG cylinders. Several locals, including a milk vendor, a grocery store clerk, and two Sangameswarar temple priests, who sleep in the shrine, were quizzed.