Kerala's arson-terrorism model: Hidden handlers and the threat of deniable attacks

Kochi, Oct 15 (UNI) Kerala's history of extremist violence involving fire, from the 2005 Kalamassery bus-burning conspiracy to the deadly 2023 Elathur train arson, has brought renewed focus on what may be described as a model of "arson terrorism" involving hidden handlers and deniable attacks, following suspected terror links emerging in the latest fire incident near a historic Jewish synagogue in Kochi. The sequence of Kerala's fire-related extremist violence has brought into focus a disturbing pattern of attacks in which those behind them can remain in the shadows while the perpetrators on the ground carry out the acts, according to…