Kabul gurdwara attacker Mohammed Muhsin, 29, was an active member of Popular Front of India (PFI) and left for Dubai after being accused in a case of pelting stones at a local temple, according to Kerala Police sources, India Today reports on March 28. Muhsin’s family, who live in Payyannur Taluk (administrative unit) in Kannur District, were contacted by Police and informed of his role in the attack. Police identified Muhsin from a photograph and video put out by Islamic State (IS) on March 27, identifying the attacker as Abu Khalid al-Hindi.
A senior State Police official said that Muhsin was a Class 9 dropout (not an engineering student as stated earlier) and an active member of PFI. He was an introvert and deeply religious and his path to radicalisation began after he joined the Islamic fundamentalist group. He was involved in several police cases including one of throwing stones at a local temple for which he was charged with triggering communal disharmony in the area in 2018.
His father Abdullah Njangarath earlier worked in Malaysia and now runs a furniture business. The family are natives of Thrikkaripur in Kasaragod District. They lived in Muhsin’s maternal home in Vadakkekovil village under Chandera Police Station in Kasaragod District. Last year, his father Abdulla shifted to Karamil village, near Payyannur in Kannur District.