NIA Unravels ISIS Plot Behind Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe Blast

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet revealing that two ISIS radicals were key conspirators in the Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast. The accused, Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taaha, were absconding since 2020 and had previously attempted to join ISIS in Syria.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet revealing that two ISIS radicals were the main conspirators behind the high-profile Bengaluru Rameshwaram Cafe blast. The radicals, identified as Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taaha, had earlier planned to join ISIS territories in Syria.

Both Shazib and Taaha, who hail from Shivamogga district in Karnataka, were arrested from a hideout in West Bengal 42 days after the explosion. They had been absconding since 2020, following the bust of the Al-Hind module. NIA's investigation concluded that Shazib was the one who planted the bomb, and both were involved in radicalizing other youths to ISIS ideology.

The chargesheet also includes Maaz Muneer Ahmed and Muzammil Shareef, both charged under multiple sections of Indian laws. The explosion, which occurred on March 1 at the Rameshwaram Cafe, injured nine people and caused extensive property damage. The investigation revealed that the accused were funded through cryptocurrencies converted to fiat via Telegram-based P2P platforms, using these funds to execute violent acts in Bengaluru.

(With inputs from agencies.)