One of the “high value assets” of the Islamic State terrorist group in India is believed to be Abdul Matheen Taha, the mastermind behind the explosion at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday detained Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazib, who detonated the device at the cafe on March 1, from their hiding spot outside of Kolkata.
The two accused would appear before an NIA judge at his home near Koramangala today at around 10.30 am, around 30 minutes after they pass medical exams. The accused were transported to Bengaluru late on Friday night and were taken to a prison cell in Madiwala.
The two accused were placed under transit remand for three days after their arrest by an NIA special court. The remand will end on Sunday. The National Investigation Agency has been looking for Abdul Mateen Taha for the past five years.
Taha has been connected to the Al Hind module case in 2020, the Shivamogga trial blasts in 2022, and the IS-sponsored pressure cooker bomb blast in Mangaluru in November 2022. He had direct communication with a “colonel” whose name has come up in a number of South and Central Indian cases. The “colonel’s” identity, the number of meetings Taha and Mussavir Hussain Shazib had with him, the method of payment used to fund terrorist activities, and their future intentions would all be interrogated by NIA officials.
