An alleged follower of Sri Lankan bombing mastermind Zahran Hashim was set to appear before an Indian court yesterday after admitting he wanted to carry out an attack in India, investigators said.

India has been concerned about Islamist extremists on its soil for some time and the April 21 Sri Lanka bombings that killed 253 people has left authorities alarmed that India might be at risk of a jihadist attack.

The Indian national, identified as Riyas A, alias Riyas Aboobacker, 29, was arrested on Monday by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), which handles counter-terrorism cases.

During interrogation, he “disclosed that he has been following speeches/videos of Zahran Hashim of Sri Lanka for more than a year”, an NIA statement said.

“He admitted that he wanted to carry out a suicide attack in Kerala,” a southern Indian state, it added.