Kalamassery bomb blast probe takes a startling turn with a former evangelist claiming responsibility

Police probe into Kalamassery bomb blast takes unexpected turn as former Jehovah's Witness member claims responsibility. Police investigating other trails, FB video, suspect's claim, time-stamp, group's teachings, anti-national sentiment, bomb-making process.

The police investigation into the Kalamassery bomb blast took a startling turn on Sunday afternoon, with a former member of the evangelist group Jehovah’s Witnesses claiming responsibility for the attack that claimed one life and left scores of worshippers injured at the crowded prayer convention.

It seemed that one aspect of the police probe had pivoted towards the inner workings of the almost cult-like religious organisation with a significant presence in Kerala.

At the same time, the police were pursuing other trails, including a car that suspiciously left the locality moments before the explosion and radical organisations inimical to international evangelical organisations that back Israel’s political line against Palestine.

Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, M. R. Ajith Kumar, told reporters the investigators were verifying the integrity of the suspect’s claim.

They were also probing a FB video purportedly broadcast by the suspect, a resident of Kochi. The video, if true, seemed to suggest that profound differences of opinion in the religious organisation resulted in the “insider attack”.

The police were investigating the time-stamp of the video to determine whether the creator had posted it before or after the blast.

The person in the video claimed that he was a zealous group member for 16 years. However, he got disenchanted with the group’s teachings in 2017.