A probe has revealed that Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of Easter attacks in Sri Lanka, has emerged as a common link in at least three Islamic State (IS) related cases, including the latest IS module busted in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, reports The Hindu on June 13. National Investigation Agency (NIA) official stated that a group of seven persons from different parts of Tamil Nadu formed a terrorist cell with allegiance to IS and had entered into a criminal conspiracy to kill some Hindu leaders of Coimbatore.