Vijayawada: A new terror group, suspected to be a breakaway faction of al-Ummah, is being probed for involvement into the series of bomb blasts targeting court complexes across South India.
Bomb experts and counter intelligence officials of Andhra Pradesh police have confirmed that that the bomb signatures in the four court blasts that took place one after the other in 2016, in Chittoor, Kollam, Mysuru and Nellore, were the same.
In all cases pressure cookers, timers, gunpowder and Potassium Chlorate were used. The blast that shook Nellore court on Monday was also suspected to be the handiwork of the same group for whom a nationwide manhunt has been launched by several agencies. A top AP intelligence official said, “We think it is a splinter group of al-Umma."
New group under the scanner
“The IEDs (improvised explosive devices) used in the blasts in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala are similar and it strongly indicates that the same terror group is behind these acts,” a top AP intelligence official said.
When asked why the impact of the blasts was less, the official said, “The group simply wants to register its presence.” Al-Umma, based in Tamil Nadu and having roots in AP, was earlier accused of a series of blasts targeting religious places in AP.
Chittoor superintendent of police Ghattamaneni Srinivas said, “The material used in all these bombs is the same. They were low intensity explosives used as a scare tactic.” He said that it was initially suspected that the bomb blast at Chittoor court was aimed at Chittoor mayor Katari Anuradha murder case accused Chintu alias Chandrasekhar but police ruled it out later.
“Chittoor police has investigated and has found vital clues, which are now being worked on by specialised agencies,” he said. Police says that the group is in a nascent stage. Interestingly, the office of the deputy commissioner of commercial taxes had received a letter written in Urdu on April 20, 2016 in which an outfit named “Base Movement” had claimed responsibility for the Chittoor blast. The letter was posted from Chennai and had a picture of slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Terror track
Sept. 12: Bomb exploded in Nellore court premises, one injured.
Aug. 1: Bomb exploded in court premises in Mysore, two injured.
June 15: IED exploded in unused jeep in Kollam, one injured.
April 7: Bomb exploded in parking place in Chittoor court complex, three hurt. Another bomb defused.
