Coimbatore atheist’s assailants were self-radicalised: Police

An investigator said that their probe had initially led to a jailed Bengaluru bomb blast accused as his brother-in-law, Saddam Hussein, is one of the main accused in the murder. “But there is no credible evidence to link the blast accused to this murder except that they were close relatives,’’ he said. He added that the assailants claimed that they had taken a vow to protect the faith about 10 days before the murder. “They claimed that their radical thought had justified the murder of a Muslim deviated from faith and they are proud of what they had done.’’

The investigator said that they were looking into the role of radical groups that might have inspired them to murder Farook. He added that they fed them ideas that justify “any act” against deviant Muslims questioning the faith. The investigator said that the accused have confessed and “…they strongly believe that what they had done was their responsibility.’’

Investigators said that the murder was planned. The alleged killers had inquired about some other Muslim youths, who had rational and logical arguments on Islam, faith and religion. “What had provoked them mostly was the way Farook argued against Islam and God,” the investigator said.

The police are yet to identity the radical groups and their preaching. “Even if there is no link to … any established terror groups, we are probing the role of certain theological groups that preach radical thoughts similar to some of the RSS-Hindu outfits,’’ said an officer. “Such groups may not have a terrorist or militant character but the teaching and agenda would be enough to instigate or justify crimes against anyone who questions or challenges their faith and pride.’’

A series of phone calls after the murder led to the arrests and surrenders of the accused. An officer said that Farook had received a call from a friend saying that his two-wheeler had run out of fuel before his murder.