Kerala serial blasts: Man surrenders, claims to belong to same group as victims

An official tells the press that the police in the process of verifying the confession

Published: Sun 29 Oct 2023, 3:17 PM

Updated: Sun 29 Oct 2023, 7:14 PM

By
Web Desk

Photo: AP

One woman died and 36 persons were injured, some seriously, in multiple blasts at a Christian religious gathering in a convention centre near this port city on Sunday morning, sending shockwaves across Kerala in India.

A senior law enforcement official informed ANI that an individual has surrendered and claimed responsibility for the explosions. According to police officer MR Ajith Kumar, a man named Dominic Martin confessed to orchestrating the serial blasts and asserted his affiliation with the same group of worshipers. The official further stated that an inquiry is underway, with one of the detonations occurring in the central area of the venue.

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The blasts occurred at an international convention centre in Kalamassery where hundreds of followers of Jehovah's Witnesses had assembled on the concluding day of their three-day-long prayer meeting.

Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian religious group that originated in the United States of America in the 19th century.

A police source told PTI that there were three blasts, of which two were strong and the third was of low intensity.

The incident was termed as "shocking" by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and "extremely unfortunate" by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

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