The main suspect in the Mangalore blast on Saturday has been arrested by Karnataka police. He was the passenger in the autorickshaw in which the explosion took place.
The suspect prima facie identified as Mohammed Shariq was reportedly involved in militant activities.
Shariq is the son of Hasim who was a cloth merchant from Thirthahalli in Shivamogga. Following in his father’s footsteps, Shariq also got involved in the textile business. For some time, he ran a cloth shop with his father in Theerthahalli.
After losing his father and mother, Shariq lived with his stepmother (his father’s second wife) and her son.
It is gathered that Shariq joined the extremist outfit through his links with Mateen, a member of the Al Hind IS module who has been absconding since 2020. Sources claimed he was highly radicalized and was reportedly involved in recruiting youths for terror activities.
Shariq was the main accused in the pro-terrorism graffiti on walls in Mangaluru. He was released on bail in the case. He had been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) but was out on bail in the case.
Shariq was also wanted by police in a terror case. In September 2022, the police arrested Two terror suspects — Maaz and Yasin from Bhadravathi. Police suspected the two accused were working for Mohammed Shariq and had reportedly carried out bomb blast trials on the banks of the Tunga river.
According to a PTI report, Police suspect that Shariq had links with those who had carried out a car blast in Coimbatore in October ahead of Deepavali. On October 23, a youth was charred to death when a cylinder exploded in a moving car outside a temple in Coimbatore. The NIA is probing the case.
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