KOCHI: The fire at a horticulture nursery near the Kadavumbhagam Synagogue in Kochi is being investigated as a possible test run for a wider terror plot, with police examining communications that refer to Jewish places of worship and attacks in several cities across the country.
A statement issued by police said communications recovered from the accused's phone contained references to various targets, including Jewish religious sites, as well as messages related to attacks in different cities.
Police are examining whether the incident was linked to international terrorist networks or organised planning involving multiple locations.
“In this context, it is being seriously investigated whether there were international terrorist links or organised planning behind the incident,” the police statement said.
Investigators are also working to establish the identities of those who sent the messages, trace financial transactions and determine whether the communications are linked to other criminal incidents.
Earlier, Kochi city police commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar had said the investigation pointed to the possibility of a larger conspiracy, with the accused allegedly acting on instructions and receiving cryptocurrency, including USDT.
Police had also said they had found visuals allegedly linked to reconnaissance, the nursery fire and practice runs before the incident. Three other incidents, suspected to have been practice runs, were registered in Ernakulam rural, while the commissioner described the Kochi case as part of a combination of four incidents in the district.
The investigation has also brought possible targets outside Ernakulam into focus.
Police are examining whether the nursery fire was an isolated act or part of a coordinated plan involving targets in multiple cities and states, including Jewish places of worship.
The commissioner had said the anti-terror squad (ATS) was involved in the investigation from the beginning and that state and central agencies had been alerted to assist in gathering evidence and examining the wider conspiracy angle. A decision on whether to hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would depend on the seriousness of the findings.
Police have invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), including Sections 15 and 18, relating to terrorist acts and conspiracy, respectively, against Ebin Paul, who is accused of setting fire to the nursery.
Investigators are now seeking to establish whether the messages, alleged reconnaissance, practice runs and cryptocurrency transactions form part of a connected operation. The identities of the people behind the communications, the nature of any external links and the intended targets remain subject to investigation.
Police have not publicly established that an organised terror network directed the fire or that attacks on the other sites were imminent. The investigation is on to determine the extent of the alleged conspiracy and the accused's role in it.