NIA raids 7 spots in Coimbatore over Islamic State links with Sri Lanka blasts

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided seven locations in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore on Wednesday over a suspected link between an Islamic State module in the city and the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that killed over 250 people.

The raids began at 6am on Wednesday and were being monitored by 7 DSPs.

NIA also said that the officials are investigating the social media connections of these places with the Sri Lanka blasts that shook the island nation on April 21.

A team of NIA officials from Cochin reached the spots along with officials from Coimbatore.

Searches are underway at the residences of Sadham, Akbar, Akram, Azarudhin, Abhubakkar, Idiyathullah and Sakhimshah from the morning.

All electronic equipment, computers and mobile phones of the 8 members are being looked into by the NIA.

NIA sources allege that these people were following the banning of NTJ, a Sri Lankan Muslim organisation in Facebook, which was involved in the bomb blasts.

An NIA team visited Sri Lanka a few days ago to probe the links of Islamic State modules in the Sri Lanka blasts.