A self-proclaimed ex-Jehovah's witness claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing in Kerala, India, that resulted in the death of at least two and the injury of dozens of others.
Law enforcement authorities detained the individual for questioning for his alleged involvement in the deadly incident. The explosion was a result of homemade bombs that were set off at a meeting of the group in the southern state of Kerala on Sunday.
Deadly Indian Bombing
In a statement, Indian Health Minister Veena George added that a 12-year-old girl suffered burns to 95% of her body and was in a critical state. In a Facebook post, Dominic Martin posted a video claiming that he was behind the deadly attack. He then surrendered shortly after noon at a police station in Thrissur district.
Police public relations officer Pramod Kumar said the suspect was still being questioned and his arrest was not yet recorded. He added that they were still trying to ascertain the veracity of Martin's statement, noting that it would take some time, as per Reuters.
Kumar said that they were not yet in a position to confirm the suspect's involvement in the case because the investigation is still ongoing. The incident occurred during a Jehovah's Witnesses convention in Kalamassery, located northeast of Kochi city.
The regional spokesperson for the Jehovah's Witnesses, TA Sreekumar, said Martin was not a registered group member. He added that roughly 2,300 attended the three-day event, but he was unaware if the suspect was present.
Sreekumar also confirmed at least two massive explosions at the center during the meeting. In his near-six-minute Facebook video, Martin said that he was taking full responsibility for the attack.
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Taking Responsibility
He also detailed the reasons why he carried out the attack, saying that the Jehovah's Witnesses were "anti-national" and that he had previously tried to convince the group to change its views. Officials noted that the explosions occurred a few seconds after the second prayer as part of the day's event, according to the New York Post.
Sreekumar said that the first blast occurred in the middle of the hall, while two other explosions that occurred seconds later simultaneously rocked either side of the hall. The group is an international Christian group founded in the United States around 1870 and is best known for its door-to-door evangelism.
Shortly after the explosion, Kerala's Director of General of Police Darvesh Saheb said that initial estimates noted one dead and 36 being treated for injuries. Videos filmed following the blasts showed flames inside the building and rescuers working to help people clear out.
India's population of roughly 1.4 billion has only about 60,000 Jehovah's Witnesses followers. Based on a 2011 census, there are about 28 million Christians in India. The group was branded as an "extremist" group in Russia despite its pacifist views. Additionally, hundreds of Jehovah's Witness followers have been arrested in recent years for a variety of allegations, said Aljazeera.
