New Delhi: Over a week after a deadly car bomb exploded near the historic Red Fort in Delhi, killing at least 12 people and injuring over 30 others, the investigating teams have made another major breakthrough by arresting a key aide of the suicide bomber in the blast.
According to reports, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday took into custody a man from Kashmir named Amir Rashid Ali. The suspect is being interrogated by the central investigating agencies in connection with the Delhi blast case.
As per the sources, Amir Rashid Ali, a resident of Samboora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pampore, was arrested in Delhi after a massive search operation that began the day after the blast, which occurred at around 7 pm on November 10, that led to the mass killing of civilians near the Red Fort Metro Station.
According to the NIA, Ali had travelled to the capital to help purchase the vehicle that was later turned into a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED). The car, a Hyundai i20 registered in his name, was used by the suicide bomber, Umar Un Nabi, to trigger the explosion. The agency added that forensic analysis confirmed that Umar Un Nabi, an assistant professor of general medicine at Al Falah University in Faridabad and a resident of Pulwama, was the driver of the bomb-laden car that detonated in Delhi.
NIA Records Statement Of 73 Witnesses So Far
The investigating teams have also seized a second vehicle belonging to Umar Nabi, which is being examined for further evidence. So far, the NIA has recorded the statements of around 73 witnesses, including several of the injured, and is probing the case in coordination with the Delhi Police, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, Uttar Pradesh Police and other intelligence and central agencies.
The officials stated that they are following multiple leads to reveal the bigger conspiracy behind the attack and to identify other conspirators involved in the attack as the probe continued across state lines.
The NIA sources said the arrest of terror suspect Amir Rashid Ali was a big step, but added that the agency was still pursuing many other avenues. “We will not rest until we have everyone involved in custody,” the officer said.
Notably, the deadly car blast in Delhi on November 10 has left the entire country shocked and outraged. Following the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah visited the hospital and met the injured hospitalised for treatment. They offered condolences to the families of the victims, who were killed in the tragic explosion. The Home Minister immediately called a series of meetings with the top security officials and ordered a detailed probe into the attack.
The NIA officials added that the agency will keep examining CCTV footage, phone records and financial trails to map the full network behind the attack. Additionally, the central probe agency is being completely cooperated with by multiple police forces in the ongoing investigation.
Deadly November 10 Blast Near Historic Red Fort
The November 10 evening will be remembered in Delhi for the deadly explosion in a car near the historic Red Fort, leaving multiple people dead and several others fighting for life. On the fateful evening, at around 7 pm, a white Hyundai i20, moving slowly on Subhash Marg, exploded near the Red Fort Metro Station gate, as commuters were heading home.
The blast ripped through the car and multiple nearby vehicles, shattering windows, scattering glass and sending a plume of black smoke into the sky. The blast created a panic-like situation at the site, with information immediately passed to the police and emergency services. After receiving information, the teams of Delhi Police, fire tenders and dozens of ambulances, along with a bomb squad, team of NIA and NSG and other central agencies arrived at the scene.
The victims were immediately rushed to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital. The death toll, which stood at eight in the first reports, rose to 12 and, by the following day, to 13 as more victims succumbed to their injuries. Moreover, 32 people remained in the hospital, many of them seriously injured.
Investigating Agencies Connecting Dots To Reveal The Truth Behind Explosion
A high alert was sounded in Delhi and other states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and others, within hours of the attack, prompting the police to heighten security at metro stations, railway junctions and major markets.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) placed the Delhi Metro, the Red Fort complex and Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on heightened security, while the US and UK embassies issued travel advisories for their citizens . PM Modi called Home Minister Amit Shah and took stock of the situation and monitored the development. The police registered a case under sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act and initiated a probe.
During, investigation, the forensic team revealed that more than two kg of ammonium nitrate had been used in the device, and that the i20 had changed hands seven times before ending up in the hands of the bombers. CCTV footage from the area showed the car lingering in a parking lot for around 3 hours before it moved onto Subhash Marg, and a mobile phone repair shop in Faridabad was identified as the place where Umar Nabi had a phone fixed just before the attack. In a related development, police in Kanpur detained nine suspects, while two doctors from Al-Falah University were questioned about possible links to the plot .
Further details regarding the ongoing probe into the Delhi Red Fort blast are awaited.