ISIS suspects planned experimental IED detonation in Jamboti forest

Bengaluru: Recent revelations from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) shed light on a sinister plot by suspected ISIS militants arrested in Bengaluru and Bellary. The detained individuals were allegedly planning acts of sabotage, including in the state capital, Bengaluru, and had identified the Jamboti forest in Khanapura, Belgavi, as a potential “test site.”

The NIA investigation uncovered plans to conduct an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) experiment in the dense Jamboti forest.

The arrested suspects, identified as Mohammad Muniruddin, Syed Sami Wullah alias Sami, M.D. Muzammil, Minaj alias M.D. Sulaiman, and Syed Sameer of Balla, were apprehended on December 18 in a joint operation by NIA and local police. Subsequent investigations uncovered a significant amount of explosive material in their possession.

Sources within the investigation agency revealed that the choice of Jamboti forest was influenced by its prior association with the training of Gauri Lankesh’s assassins. The main accused in the journalist’s murder, Amol Kale, and his accomplices had received training in the same forest.

The Jamboti forest, known for its dense vegetation and remote location, was strategically chosen for the experiment. Being far from inhabited regions, the chances of the explosion being heard outside the forest were minimized. Additionally, the presence of the Mahadayi River flowing through the dense forest provided an added layer of seclusion.

In the past, members of the ISIS organization, including Mohammed Shareef (accused in the Mangaluru bomb blast) and Maj Munir, along with their associates, had prepared and conducted experimental explosions on the banks of the Tunga River in Shivamogga. Using the same modus operandi, they had planned to carry out a practical explosion on the banks of the Mahadayi River in the jungles of Jamboothi. For this purpose, they had formulated plans with Minaaz and the group to procure explosive materials online and from some labs. Gauri Hanthakar had received training in the same jungle.

Interestingly, Minaj, one of the arrested suspects, had visited the location where Gauri Lankesh’s killers were trained. However, the plan evolved to detonate near the river instead of conducting a test explosion in the same spot.

Minaj allegedly instructed three of the five suspects apprehended in Bengaluru to prepare IEDs locally, with directives for the remaining three, arrested in Maharashtra, Delhi, and Jharkhand, to offer advice and guidance. The suspects intended to create IEDs in Bengaluru and transport them to Khanapur. However, after knowing the risk they faced during the  Mangaluru cooker bomb explosion, the accused decided to take a small amount of explosive raw materials to Khanapur for IED preparation.