M’luru cooker blast: Islamic preacher Zakir had tweeted about ‘suicide bomb’ hours after the incident

Mangaluru: It has been learned that Zakir Naik, the controversial Islamic preacher who influenced the accused in the cooker bomb blast, had tweeted about ‘suicide bombing’ just after the explosion.

The explosion occurred near Naguri at 4.29 pm on November 19, when the terror suspect Mohammed Shariq was traveling on an autorickshaw. About 2 hours after the blast, Zakir had uploaded the link to his Youtube video on Twitter about a ‘suicide bombing’.

In November 2021, the Indian government extended the ban on the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) run by Zakir Naik for 5 years. The IRF had been first declared an unlawful organization in 2016 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.

Zakir Naik was to visit Mangaluru in December 2015. However, the program was canceled after the government denied him entry into the district after vehement protests by pro-Hindu groups.

Security tightened at the hospital 

The police security at the hospital where the blast accusedShariq is undergoing treatment has been tightened. Shariq’s health condition is said to be stable, however, he is still not able to speak. Police sources said the investigators are yet to interrogate him.

Searches at forested land

The Dharmasthala police conducted searches in the Bendral area on Saturday after it came to light that a prohibited satellite phone call was made from Bendralada Bare in Belthangadi on the day before the Mangaluru blast.  Intelligence agencies had reportedly detected a suspicious satellite phone call from the area. However, Dharmasthala police did not find any clues at the spot.