Police in India have taken a man into custody for setting off a bunch of bombs at a gathering of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the southern state of Kerala.
Three people died and over 50 people were hurt in explosions at a Christian religious event on Sunday.
The police arrested a man named Dominic Martin using a law that deals with preventing acts of terror.
He previously shared a video saying he did the attacks and gave up to the police.
The explosions happened on the final day of a prayer event put together by Jehovah’s Witnesses in the town of Kalamassery, which is about 10km (or six miles) north-east of the city of Kochi (also known as Cochin). Over 2,000 individuals were present at the three-day occasion.
TA Sreekumar, who speaks for the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the region, said to local media that the first explosion happened in the center of a hall, and two more explosions occurred just after that on both sides of the hall.
Two women who were at the meeting passed away on Sunday. On Monday, a 12-year-old girl with very severe burns also passed away from her injuries.
A few hours after the explosions, Mr. Martin shared a video on Facebook, saying that he used to belong to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and was upset with their teachings, so he planned the bombings. Sreekumer told Reuters that Mr. Martin was not officially a member.
The police said that Mr. Martin was from the state of Kerala. He used to work in Dubai before.
Kochi city police commissioner, A Akbar said that they believe he committed the crime because he confessed to it and there is additional evidence supporting this belief.
Mr Akbar said that Mr Martin was working well with the police.
The explosions caused waves of shock throughout the country. Security was increased in Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religious group that thinks regular Christian churches have strayed from the true teachings of the Bible, and they believe that the end of the world, called Armageddon, is coming soon.
The group says they have around 8. 7 million people following them all over the world and about 60,000 in India. They are well-known in Kerala and go door-to-door to share their beliefs.
Queen Richard, a person who is part of the religious group called Jehovah’s Witnesses, was inside the building when a bomb went off. At first, she thought that a problem with the electrical wiring had caused the explosion.
We shut our eyes and said our prayers. Suddenly, we heard a big explosion in the middle of the hall. She said there was a big fire. She and her husband, who has a disability, had a hard time getting out of the hall.
“She said that right after I stepped outside, I passed out and fell to the ground. ”
Tag: Jehovah Witnesses
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Indian man detained over deadly attack on Jehovah’s Witnesses
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Deadly explosions kills three Jehovah Witnesses in southern state of Kerala
The police in India are looking into a set of explosions that happened at a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the southern state of Kerala. Sadly, three people lost their lives in this incident.
Over 50 people got hurt during the explosions on Sunday at a gathering organized by a Christian religious group near the city of Kochi (Cochin).
A man was taken into custody after he shared a video saying he was responsible for the attacks and gave himself up to the police.
The police are still trying to confirm his admission of guilt.
We have him with us. He showed us some things that we’re checking to see if they’re true. The investigation is just starting, said MR Ajith Kumar, the additional director general of police, to reporters.
The event happened during a prayer meeting held by Jehovah’s Witnesses in the town of Kalamassery, which is about 10km (6 miles) north-east of Kochi. Over 2,000 individuals were present at the three-day occasion.
Two women who were at the meeting passed away on Sunday. Additionally, a 12-year-old girl who was severely burned also passed away from her injuries on Monday morning.
A high-ranking police officer named Shaik Darvesh Saheb said that a first investigation suggested that a homemade bomb put inside a lunchbox could have caused the explosions.
Shortly after the incident, a man named Dominic Martin admitted to doing the attack.
The 48-year-old person admitted to doing something wrong in a video he shared on Facebook. But the video has been removed now. He also went to a police station close by and turned himself in.
Mr Martin said that he was a member of the religious group and was not happy with their teachings that went against the country.
But TA Sreekumar, a spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the area, said that he didn’t know if Mr Martin was even there at the event.
The explosions happened right after people finished praying as part of the day’s activities. The explosion happened in the center of the hall.
Kerala’s Health Minister, Veena George, said that 17 people were taken to various hospitals because of the blasts. Out of those, 12 were in critical condition and needed intensive care.
Four people are very sick, and three of them need help breathing with the help of machines called ventilators. She said that people who are very sick have burns on more than half of their body.
The Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, said that a group of 20 people, led by a police officer, is looking into the incident.
Security has been increased in Delhi, Mumbai, and other cities after the explosions.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religion that thinks regular Christian churches have strayed from what the Bible actually says. They also believe that the world is going to end soon.
This group has around 8. 7 million followers globally and about 60,000 in India. They are particularly active in Kerala and known for going from house to house spreading their religious beliefs.
In 1986, India’s Supreme Court supported the followers of a group and decided that their kids should not be made to sing the national anthem in schools.
People who believed in the movement said they couldn’t sing the anthem because it went against their beliefs and would be a betrayal to their God, Jehovah.