Kollam (Kerala): A Kerala court on Monday found three persons guilty in connection with a low-intensity IED blast at the Kollam district collectorate in 2016.

The convicts were linked to an extremist group promoting the ideology of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. A fourth accused was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

District Principal Sessions Court Judge G Gopakumar delivered the verdict, finding Abbas Ali (first accused) from Madurai’s Ismail Puram, Shamsun Karim Raja (second accused) from Madurai’s K Pudur, and Dawood Sulaiman (third accused) from Madurai’s Pallivasal guilty.

The blast occurred on June 15, 2016, in a jeep parked within the collectorate compound, where an IED concealed in a tiffin box exploded around 10.45 am near the Munsiff Court, producing a loud noise.

The accused were charged with violations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, and the Explosive Substances Act.

The prosecution alleged that the first accused founded the extremist ‘Base Movement’ at Tamil Nadu’s Darul Islam Library and recruited others to promote Bin Laden’s ideologies, aiming to create a climate of terror through nationwide court bombings beginning in 2015. They carried out blasts at court premises in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh on April 7, 2016; Mysore on August 1, 2016; Nellore on September 12, 2016; and Malappuram on November 1, 2016.

The Kollam court blast case was initially registered by West Police and investigated by the Kollam Assistant Police Commissioner under orders from the Kollam City Police Commissioner. National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials from Hyderabad, who probed the Mysore blast case, arrested the accused on November 28, 2016.

According to the prosecution, the first accused manufactured the bomb at his residence, and the second accused planted it. Notably, the second accused had visited the collector’s office two weeks prior to the blast and taken photographs. The third accused reportedly claimed responsibility for the blast through social media messages from Andhra Pradesh.

NIA officials searched the accused’s homes, seizing laptops and mobile phones, which were sent to Thiruvananthapuram’s Cyber Dome for examination. The findings were presented as evidence, including hard and soft copies.

The prosecution presented 110 documents and 26 witnesses in court. Additionally, they submitted the UAPA permission document, obtained from the Government Secretariat, to Principal District Session Judge Gopakumar, who heard arguments over several days.

R Sethunath, District Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor, led the prosecution team, along with Public Prosecutors Sincin G Mundakkal, Advocate Milan Mary Mathew, P B Sunil, S P Parthasarathy, and B Amina.