NEW DELHI – Indian investigators have found that Mohammad Mubarak Azaan,one of nine suicide attackers involved in the Easter Sunday bombings in SriLanka, visited India twice in 2017, according to a top intelligenceofficial who didn’t wish to be named.
Azaan is the second Sri Lankan attacker identified by security agencies whotravelled to India. The other was Zahran Hashim, leader of the NationalThowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) and the alleged head of the attackers.
It is suspected Azaan blew himself up at one of three churches targeted onApril 21. Sri Lankan authorities are yet to disclose the names of all thenine bombers. Indian authorities declined to share details about thepurpose of Azaan’s visits to India, the people he was in touch with and theplaces he travelled to during the two trips.
Security officials of both countries have said Hashim visited India in 2017and remained in the country for a few months, during which his activitiesattracted the attention of security agencies.
The April 21 attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels killed morethan 250 people, including 11 Indian nationals, and injured 500. Fifteenpeople, including three suicide bombers, died during a raid by Sri Lankansecurity forces on Friday night and nearly 100 people have been detained inthe island nation.
Read Top Stories
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombings and released avideo that showed Hashim and seven other men pledging allegiance to ISchief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. An Indian official, who didn’t want to benamed, said Hashim was also associated with the Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamaat(TNTJ). The TNTJ has not been found to be involved in any terror activities.
Hashim, a second official said, broke away from TNTJ to form the NTJ andstarted preaching a violent form of Islam in Sri Lanka. Investigatorssuspect this is when he might have come in contact with IS leaders.
