Aadhil Ameez, a 24-year-old Sri Lankan software engineer is suspected by the Sri Lankan authorities to have provided technical and logistical support to the Easter Sunday suicide bombers, according to investigators, reported Reuters.
The investigators also said the suspect was under Indian intelligence agencies' surveillance three years ago, for links with Islamic State suspects.
Four sources in Sri Lankan investigating agencies said Aadhil was the link between two groups, the National Tawheed Jamaath (NTJ) and the Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim (JMI) that attacked the island nation, killing over 250 people, reported Reuters.
According to Aadhil's LinkedIn profile, he is a senior engineer/programmer/web designer with a masters degree in computer science and a bachelors in political science from UK universities.
Suspect Under Indian Investigative Agencies’ Radar Since 2016
A police official at India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and another police official in Gujarat said they had been monitoring Aadhil since 2016 and named him in two charge sheets filed in Indian courts with links to suspected IS operatives, reported Reuters.
According to the charge sheet, Aadhil had contacts with the two suspects who are on trial for plotting an attack on a synagogue in Ahmedabad, via Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram.
In another charge sheet filed by the NIA, Aadhil is accused of providing propaganda and online material to three Indians arrested in early 2016 for promoting Islamic State.
Aadhil's father M Ameez has denied his link with the plotters, saying the "allegations are lies."
However, investigators are not sure whether Aadhil was only a facilitator for the bombers, or if he was also one of the ring leaders involved in planning and executing the attacks.
(With inputs from Reuters.)
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