The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted Thaha Naseer as the 14th accused in the 2022 ISIS-inspired Coimbatore car bomb blast case. The another accused was charged under relevant sections of IPC, Explosive Substances Act and UA(P)A. On October 23, 2022, a blast was triggered near a temple in Coimbatore with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) driven by Jamesha Mubeen, who died in the explosion.
The attack was allegedly aimed at avenging the imprisonment of Mohammed Azaruddin for propagating ISIS ideology. NIA investigations revealed Naseer's close association with Mubeen and Umar Faaruq, the leader of the attack.
According to a release by NIA, "The investigations have revealed that Thaha Naseer was a close associate of Jamesha Mubeen and Umar Faaruq, the Amir or leader of the terror attack. Umar Faaruq had recruited like-minded individuals, including the deceased accused Jamesha Mubeen, along with Mohammed Thoufeek and Thaha Naseer. "
"He had gathered the recruits in a secluded region, Jalakumadavu @ Jothimadavu, in the core forest zone of Sathyamangalam Reserve Forest, Erode District and planted an ISIS flag in the region and declared it as their ilaka / province," it said.
Additionally, Umar allegedly provided jungle training to the recruits assigning roles to the accused individuals for orchestrating the blast.
As per NIA investigations, the release said, "Mohammed Thoufeek and Thaha Naseer had visited the house of Jamesha Mubeen a week before the blast and had planned to use the explosives to carry out a series of terror attacks."
"The larger aim of the conspiracy was to wage war against the Government of India by targeting its various branches, i.e., general administration, police, judiciary, etc. and also to target and kill Indians in order to destabilise the country and create communal disharmony," it said.