TNI Bureau: Investigations into the recent blast near Delhi’s Red Fort have uncovered a chilling terror plot involving 32 vehicles allegedly being prepared for a coordinated multi-phase attack across six major locations in the national capital, according to reports.
The planned attacks were reportedly intended as “revenge” for the demolition of the Babri Masjid and were to be executed on December 6, the date marking the mosque’s destruction in 1992.
Reports suggest that the vehicles, including a Hyundai i20, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Maruti Swift Dzire, and Ford EcoSport, were fitted or being modified to carry explosives and deliver bombs. The i20, which exploded on Monday evening near Red Fort, was one of these vehicles. The blast killed thirteen people and was allegedly triggered prematurely by one of the suspected terrorists, identified as Umar Mohammed, also known as Umar un-Nabi.
According to officials involved in the probe, DNA tests confirmed that Umar died in the explosion. Reports suggest that he entered Delhi through the Badarpur border on Monday morning and roamed around the city before setting off the explosive near the Red Fort’s entrance and a nearby metro station. The Red Fort remains closed to visitors on Mondays, and investigators believe Umar improvised after discovering this, detonating the bomb at a busy traffic signal instead.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is leading the probe, said the terror module was linked to Pakistan-based outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Investigators suspect the group had devised a new modus operandi by planting members in professional institutions as white-collar workers, including doctors and medical students, to avoid detection.
The investigation has revealed that the terror network had its operational base in Haryana’s Faridabad, particularly around the Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences and Research Centre. Reports indicate that the Brezza (HR87 U 9988) was found inside the Al-Falah campus, while the red Ford EcoSport (DL10 CK 0458) was recovered abandoned in Faridabad late Wednesday. A young man found asleep in the EcoSport was taken into custody. The Maruti Swift Dzire, seized earlier this week, contained an assault rifle and ammunition, according to officials.
Investigators also found that nearly 3,000 kilograms of explosive materials, along with assault rifles, had been stockpiled at two locations, the Al-Falah Hospital in Faridabad and the Government Medical College in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag. Reports suggest that Umar may have panicked and detonated the bomb early after learning that his associates, identified as Adil Ahmad Rather, Mujammil Shakeel, and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, had been arrested.
The Al-Falah institution, which has emerged as a key link in the investigation, has issued a statement distancing itself from the suspects. “We want to make it loud and clear that as a responsible institution, we stand in solidarity with the nation and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the country,” the management said.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) detained a 32-year-old cardiology student from Kanpur for questioning in connection with the blast.
The student, identified as Dr Mohammad Arif, was pursuing his Doctor of Medicine (Cardiology) degree at the state-run Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College.
According to reports, Arif was taken into custody from his residence in Ashok Nagar, Nazirabad. His laptop and mobile phone were seized for forensic analysis, and he has been moved to Delhi for interrogation. Sources told PTI that Arif, a native of Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, was in regular contact with Dr Shaheen Sayeed — a former GSVM professor already under arrest — and her brother, Dr Parvez, who has also been questioned by the NIA.
Investigators believe that on the day of the Red Fort blast, Arif was in telephonic contact with individuals linked to Dr Shaheen’s network. Reports further suggest that the group communicated using a shared email account, exchanging unsent draft messages to avoid surveillance.