Rameshwaram Cafe blast: Who are Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha, accused held by NIA?

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended two suspects - Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha - in connection with Bengaluru's Rameswaram Cafe blast case on Friday. The two were nabbed near West Bengal's Kolkata.

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Who are Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha?

Mussavir Hussain Shazib is known to be the “mastermind” behind the low-intensity blast at the popular eatery in Bengaluru on March 1. He is the main accused who placed the IED at the cafe. Meanwhile, Abdul Matheen Taha is a co-conspirator in the case. Both Taha and Shazib are residents of Thirthahalli in Shivamogga district, the NIA had said.

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The two emerged as missing suspects from the Islamic State's (IS) Shivamogga module, which was once associated with creating graffiti in support of terror and terror outfits. They became known as key figures within the infamous “Thirthahalli module”, one of the most wanted terror groups in Karnataka, with aspirations of establishing an Islamic State Caliphate within the southern state's forests, a charge sheet filed by the agency stated.

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Both Shazib and Taha were previously part of another extremist group, the Al Hind terror module, also inspired by the IS, and have been on the radar of investigative agencies since January 2020.

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Their names came up during the investigation of various cases, including the 2020 murder case of a special sub inspector, A Wilson, who was shot dead while on duty at a check post close to the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border.

The duo were on the run and have evaded arrests since 2019. They were both finally captured near Kolkata, West Bengaluru, the NIA confirmed on Friday.

(With inputs from Arun Dev in Bengaluru)