For the parents of Mohammed Sajid Kuthirulmmal, a shopkeeper from Padne area of Kasargod in the South Indian state of Kerala, Friday turned out to be a miserable day after they were informed by the local police that their son was one of the suicide bombers who killed dozens of Sikhs in Afghanistan in an attack on March 25.
The Islamic State militants, whose Afgan offshoot - ISIS Khurasan, claimed that the attack on the Kabul Gurudhawara (Sikh Temple) released a statement claiming that the attack was carried out by Abu Khalid al-Hindi.
The ISIS media wing released the photo of the suicide bomber who the Sunni terror group claimed stormed the Sikh temple in Kabul city. Taking pride in its work, the terrorist group claimed that the local Sikh community was its target and it successfully carried out the operation against the "kafirs."
At least 25 people were killed and eight were wounded in the six-hour-long siege that was carried out by four heavily armed suicide bombers who stormed the temple to kill as many as possible. The terror group claimed the attack was to avenge the mistreatment of Kashmiri Muslims in India.
This is not the first time that ISIS Khurasan has targeted the Sikh minority in Afghanistan. In 2018, in a similar-styled attack, the terror group killed at least 19 people including many members of the Sikh community in Jalalabad city of Nangarhar.
Who is Mohammed Sajid Kuthirulmmal?
After ISIS published the picture of its suicide bomber, the Indian police were able to identify the man as Mohammed Sajid Kuthirulmmal who has been missing since 2016.
The image claimed to be that of Abu Khalid al-Hindi holding an AK 56 (a Chinese copy of AK 47) and doing a one-finger Tawhid salute was soon identified by the Indian intelligence officials as Mohammed Sajid Kuthirulmma.
Mohammed Sajid Kuthirulmma, the 30-year-old shopkeeper from Kerala disappeared one day without informing his parents along 14 others from Kasargod. A missing case was filed by the Indian police in 2006, while a red corner notice was issued against him by the Interpol, Indian news outlet LiveMint reported.
ISIS presence in Kerala, a tourist hotspot
The South Indian state of Kerala is dubbed as "God own country" with its beautiful and rich nature that frequented by tourists from the world over. However, the Malabar region of the lush green state has made headlines after it emerged that dozens of ISIS recruits were fleeing their homes and leaving for jihad from Kerala.
The Indian intelligence agencies believe that hundreds of Indians have joined ISIS, while many have been killed in drones strikes, some still continue to be part of the terror group ops.
