After the arrest of an Indian nation­al who allege­dly follow­ed the master­mind of April 21 bombin­gs in Sri LankaNEW DELHI: Indian anti-terrorism officers conducted raids against Islamic State group supporters in seven locations in the country’s south on Wednesday and were questioning several alleged backers of the militant organisation, police said. The searches in the city of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, came after the arrest in April of an Indian national who allegedly followed Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of April 21 bombings in Sri Lanka that killed 253 people. Hashim was a Sri Lankan Muslim preacher who led the coordinated Easter Sunday suicide attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka – one of the world’s deadliest terrorist incidents. Sri Lankan authorities blamed a local militant group, the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), but IS claimed responsibility. Officers seized mobile phones, SIM cards, computer materials and documents during the Coimbatore raids, NIA said.

Source: The Express Tribune June 13, 2019 06:11 UTC