Bengaluru cafe bomber, mastermind sent to 10-day NIA custody

Bengaluru, April 13: The Bengaluru Special NIA Court judge has sent suspected bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and mastermind Abdul Matheen Taha, to 10-day National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody in connection with the Bengaluru cafe bomb blast case.

The NIA on Saturday produced the arrested bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and his accomplice Abdul Matheen Taha before the magistrate court judge at his residence in Koramangala locality of Bengaluru. Senior counsel Prasanna Kumar argued for the NIA.

The NIA had taken the suspected terrorists to an undisclosed location for the investigation.

Sources explained that the arrest of the suspected terrorists was a big breakthrough for the investigative agencies. The suspected terrorists had connections with international terror outfits and prepared bombs within the country and carried out explosions with the help of local youth.

The NIA had thwarted the bigger plans of global terror outfit ISIS and others to raise a network of terrorists in India who can carry out disruptive activities without persons from foreign countries entering India and helping them out, sources stated.

The agencies were able to track down Mussavir, Taha and the gang operating from the prison as per the instructions of terror outfits based abroad at the initial stages before they could get expertise in carrying out powerful strikes.

Mastermind Taha, an engineering graduate, developed low-intensity Improvised Explosive Device (IED) bombs and intended to cause maximum fatalities. On March 1, the low-intensity IED bomb, planted in the bag, caused maximum damage to the roof and structure of the Rameshwaram cafe in Bengaluru. No casualty was reported in the incident.

NIA sources explained that they will go deeper into the money transactions of the suspected terrorists and their local networks.

After over a month-long chase, the NIA on Friday arrested bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and his accomplice Abdul Matheen Taha from a hideout in Kolkata. Sources explain that the suspected terrorists were planning to escape to Bangladesh from West Bengal.