The suspected terrorist who engineered the bomb in India's southern city of Mangaluru last weekend was “inspired and influenced” by Daesh*, police said on Monday.
Karnataka Police Director General Alok Kumar told reporters that Mohammad Shariq was already wanted by local police for his alleged links to the organization.
Kumar said that police were looking for Shariq since September after he supposedly arranged a blast using a homemade device on the banks of a river in nearby Shivamogga. At the time, two of his accomplices were arrested - but Shariq himself managed to escape.
Kumar also claimed that Shariq was in touch with Mateen Ahmed Taha, a member of Daesh's ‘Al-Hind’ module, whose primary aim is to establish a “caliphate” in southern India, according to the information provided by the anti-terror probe unit of India's National Investigative Agency (NIA).
Besides Taha, Shariq is also believed to have been in touch with other “handlers” through the DarkWeb.
Police also revealed that potential bomb-making materials such as sulfur, phosphorus, batteries, electronic circuits, and nuts and bolts were discovered at Shariq's rented accommodation in Mysuru city, some 250 km from Mangaluru. Shariq allegedly rented the place with a forged ID using a Hindu name.
The low-intensity blast on the outskirts of Mangaluru resulted in injuries to Shariq and the auto-rickshaw driver, both of them catching fire which was doused by onlookers. The “priority” is to save Shareeq's life so that he may be further interrogated.
Karnataka state chief Basavaraj Bommai has also flagged Shariq’s alleged “terror links”, noting that he often travels around India's southern Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states.
He also said that the Intelligence Bureau and the NIA are assisting the local police in the probe.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization banned internationally by many countries, including Russia