A timer-based low intensity improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the Kerala convention centre explosion that left two dead and over 50 injured, investigators aware of the development said on Sunday as the Centre rushed specialised teams of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard to take over probe into the incident.
Around 9.30am on Sunday, a bomb blast ripped through a private convention centre in Kalamassery town in Kerala during a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian sect. One Dominic Martin, who said he was a member of the religious group but had been angered by some of its teachings, has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Soon after the attack, Union home minister Amit Shah called Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured him of all possible help. He later dispatched an NIA team, comprising a superintendent of police (SP) and forensic experts, and an NSG bomb disposal unit to the crime scene.
NSG has a national bomb data centre that analyses the types of IEDs used in blasts across India to see patterns.
Investigators present at the crime, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they found batteries and wires at the blast scene, which “establishes use of a timer, but a forensic examination will confirm the type of explosive”. “There were no traces of a shrapnel to multiply the impact of the blast. However, the IED was placed near an oil container to exacerbate the fire,” an official said, adding that they are “not ruling out a terror angle” in the attack.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators present at the crime, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they found batteries and wires at the blast scene, which “establishes use of a timer, but a forensic examination will confirm the type of explosive”. “There were no traces of a shrapnel to multiply the impact of the blast. However, the IED was placed near an oil container to exacerbate the fire,” an official said, adding that they are “not ruling out a terror angle” in the attack.
{{/usCountry}}“We are examining all angles, and we will find out who is behind this, and we will take stringent action,” Kerala director general of police Shaik Darvesh Saheb told reporters.
Also read: ‘There was only fire and smoke’: Kerala blast witnesses recount horror
A top police officer, under the condition of anonymity, told HT, “Dominic Martin, who claimed responsibility for the blast, is the main accused. We are questioning him. He is likely to be arrested on Monday.”
“He claimed to be a member of the sect and submitted some evidence of his involvement in the blast. We are examining it,” said MR Ajith Kumar, additional director general of police (law and order).
Other officials quoted above said that Martin is being jointly interrogated by the central intelligence agencies, NIA and the Kerala police to find out involvement of other suspects, if any.
“We are checking his background, his social media profiles and associations,” one of the officials added.
Meanwhile, the police booked a preliminary FIR, without naming a suspect, under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 3(A) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and 16 (1)(a) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention ) Act, 1967 (Amendment 2012).