Four IEDs were used in the multiple explosions that rocked a Jehovah’s Witnesses’ gathering in Kalamassery area of Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Sunday morning, killing three people, sources within investigative agencies have confirmed to CNN-News18.
The IEDs, as per initial forensic analysis, were made of low-grade explosives and petrol was used to make it an incendiary device, officials said. “Prima facie, it looks like the explosives were the kind used in firecrackers but further tests will confirm the exact nature. Use of petrol suggests that the idea was to burn the place down; make this an incendiary device,” an official in the know told CNN-News18.
Investigating teams have recovered batteries, wires, circuits and mobile phones from the crime scene. Officials said the container in which the bomb was assembled was yet to be traced. Police had suggested on Sunday that a tiffin box was used to assemble the IEDs.
On Monday, as scrutiny of the crime scene at the convention center ended, sources said at least five litres of petrol in plastic pouches were used for each bomb. Jute bags were used to pack the IEDs and radio frequency devices helped trigger the explosion. They added that a mobile call was used to provide electric charge, complete the circuit and trigger the IED.
Sources said the jute bag packed with IEDs were specifically kept under chairs covered with cloth so that they catch fire faster. Plastic chairs were hence avoided because they would have melted and not fuelled the fire, solidifying the theory that the intention was to burn down the entire convention center.
Police investigation, meanwhile, suggests that Dominic Martin — the main suspect in the case who has taken the responsibility for the explosions — assembled the IEDs at his house and used the internet to learn bomb-making. “He was a foreman in the Gulf so he had basic knowledge of machines. The rest is from the internet,” officials said.
Investigation so far suggests that there was no immediate provocation for Martin who left Jehovah’s Witnesses six years ago. “Martin not only confessed on social media but also provided police with all self-incriminating proof like videos etc,” officials said.
Kerala Police is being assisted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG)’s bomb data center in the probe. NSG’s post-blast analysis report is expected to be shared with the Centre soon.
The death toll in the blast climbed to three after a 12-year-old, who was on ventilator since Sunday, died on Monday. Most others who are critical have also suffered burn injuries, lending more credence to the theory that the IEDs were incendiary devices.
Central agencies have also veered towards the view that it is Martin who carried out the blasts. He has told the police that he was unhappy with the kind of ideology being propagated by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and hence, decided to carry out the attack.
‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ is a group of Christians who do not identify as Protestants. Jehovah’s Witnesses disagree with teachings of the Catholic Church. However, they do not consider themselves to be Protestants for multiple reasons, one being that Protestant beliefs conflict with “what the Bible actually teaches”.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention is an annual gathering wherein larger assemblies called “Regional Conventions” take place which are usually three days long. These conventions consist primarily of Bible-based talks, dramatisations, and videos of their preaching work. Their website, jw.org, describes them as being “different from other religious groups that are called Christian”.