Was Red Fort blast a hurried move? Explosives stashed over 2 years for multi-city strike, hints probe

Investigators are probing whether Monday’s suspected car blast near the Red Fort was part of a larger terror conspiracy planned over the past two years. Evidence gathered so far suggests that the explosives used in the attack were being stockpiled for multiple strikes across India, indicating the possibility of a premature or hastily executed operation.

Dr Umar Un Nabi, who has emerged as the prime suspect in the case, was identified as the most radicalised member of the Faridabad module, which included arrested doctors Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, Dr Adeel Majeed Rather, and Dr Shaheen Shahid. Sources connected with the investigation told the Times of India (TOI) that Shaheen admitted during interrogation in Srinagar that Umar often spoke passionately about “unleashing multiple terror attacks in the country” during their meetings after work at Al-Falah Medical College.

Sources revealed that Umar, along with Muzammil and Adeel, had been collecting fertilizer-based explosives such as ammonium nitrate for nearly two years, allegedly for use in terror operations across India on behalf of the Pakistan-backed group Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM).

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Muzammil, Adeel, and Shaheen were earlier arrested by Jammu and Kashmir police in a joint operation with their counterparts in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Umar, who taught at Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad, managed to evade arrest and is believed to have gone underground before resurfacing as the suspected car bomber. He is thought to have packed an i20 car with commercially available explosives and detonators.

The interrogation of the arrested doctors points to a wider Jaish network. Shaheen disclosed that her brother, Parvez Sayeed, was also radicalized and part of the same chat group as Muzammil and Adeel. A J&K police team visited Lucknow on Tuesday and detained Parvez, though no major recoveries were made. “It is possible that he got rid of the explosives, anticipating arrest,” said an officer, reported TOI. Investigators have also identified a Gurugram-based ammonium nitrate supplier, who is likely to face raids and arrest soon.

Sources indicated that the raids in Faridabad and the Delhi blast have exposed a network of clerics involved in indoctrination. These include a Shopian-based maulvi, Irfan Ahmad Wagay, who maintained contact with Pakistan-based JeM handler Umar bin Khattab, alias Harjulla, and a Mewat-based cleric, Hafiz Mohd Ishtiyak, who allegedly provided logistical support to the terrorists. The clerics reportedly used social media platforms to radicalise highly qualified professionals, including doctors, for carrying out attacks across India for JeM.

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“Medicine being a noble profession offered the doctors a perfect cover for their conspiratorial agenda,” an officer observed.

This is not the first instance of medical professionals being linked to terrorism. In November 2023, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha dismissed Dr Nisar Ul Hassan, assistant professor at SMHS Hospital, Srinagar, over alleged terror links. Hassan, who was the self-styled president of the Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK), was accused of using the organization to steer medical professionals in the Valley towards secessionism under Pakistani patronage. “It is a matter of investigation if Hassan had any role in radicalizing the Kashmiri doctors arrested in Faridabad or was involved in the Delhi blast,” said an officer.