Delhi blast conspirators planned Hamas-style strikes using drones and rockets, finds NIA probe

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed that the terror module behind the Delhi Red Fort blast was planning a broader Hamas-style attack using drones, as it arrested another Kashmiri resident in connection with the case.

The NIA probe also revealed that the Jaish module was already in the process of making small rockets that were supposed to be used in serial blasts planned by the group.

The conspirators had reportedly planned to launch an attack similar to Hamas’s October 2023 strikes in Israel, where it deployed drones as the main weapon of disruption and destruction.

Who has been arrested?

NIA arrested a second man from Kashmir, Jasir Bilal Wani, alias Danish, who worked closely with suicide bomber Umar Nabi.

“NIA’s investigation has revealed that Wani had provided technical support for carrying out terror attacks by modifying drones and attempting to make rockets ahead of the deadly car bomb blast,” the probe agency said in a statement.

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The agency’s initial investigation revealed that Wani had been instructed by Nabi to prepare for a fidayeen (suicide) attack. The two first met at a mosque in Kashmir, where Nabi allegedly radicalised Wani.

What was planned?

The drones were to be fitted with cameras, batteries, and small but powerful explosives intended for attacks in crowded areas, but the plot was foiled when the module was busted.

Such attacks usually fit the description of ones carried out by groups like Hamas.

The terror module intended to fly a weaponised drone over a crowded area to inflict maximum casualties, noting that similar tactics have been used by groups like Hamas and armed factions in war-torn Syria.