RED FORT CAR EXPLOSION

10 November, Red Fort

 On November 10, around 6.55 p.m., a car exploded near the Red Fort in Delhi, killing 13 people and injuring several others. An FIR has been registered since then at the Kotwali police station, and the case has been transferred to the National Investigation Agency. During the probe, security agencies found that Dr. Umar ul Nabi, a “wanted” member of the ‘white-collar’ terror module, missing since October 7, and associated with Al Falah, was behind the wheel of the car that went up in flames. He died in the explosion. So far, the J&K Police have arrested nine suspects in a separate case registered on October 19, which now appears closely linked to the Delhi blast.

This is alleged to be an act of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organization founded in neighboring Pakistan, to avenge the death of 10 family members of its leader, Masood Azhar. This attack took place just a few months after Operation Sindoor, an Indian tri-services military operation that aimed to neutralize terror groups involved in cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, showing that terrorism cannot be eradicated but can only be controlled. Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the Pahalgam attack of April 22, 2025, that killed 26 civilians (25 Indian and 1 Nepalese) in Baisaran Valley in India’s Jammu and Kashmir. Operation Sindoor led to four days of intense tit-for-tat conflict between India and Pakistan on the border and received widespread international attention. President Donald Trump claims that his administration negotiated a ceasefire between the two neighbors, though India’s government rejects this claim.

If the reports are true, the security forces in Kashmir likely knew that such an incident was likely to occur. The when, where, and how were the imponderables. That there was a terror group that was working on this incident demonstrates that such cells can be located anywhere.

The details of the explosive material captured are revealing. Authorities found several weapons and two tranches of chemicals that can be converted to explosive devices. In all, they amounted to 2,600 kg of explosives in 88 bags, another 360 kg of ammonium nitrate, and 2 AK series of weapons and ammunition. The explosive material was bought in small quantities over an extended period to avoid detection, suggesting long-term planning of an operation.

The most significant aspect of this incident is that it was done by a well-educated person. Umar, who initiated that blast, was an assistant professor of medicine. So are the alleged coconspirators who have been arrested, including Shaheen Sayeed, Muzammil Ahmed Ganaie, Mujammil Shakil, Muzaffar Rather, and Adil Ahmed Rather. Allegedly, all of them seem to have been recruited and radicalized by Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic at the GMC Srinagar hospital. The backgrounds of these perpetrators have given rise to the term “white collar terrorism.” Social media appears to have been used to influence first and radicalize second, motivating even educated people to carry out such acts.

The following has been reported, though there has been no official statement or confirmation from India’s government on these claims. On October 19, 2025, some posters were found in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, which said that “Some people shelter these Indian predators in their shops, which obstructs our work; therefore, we want to say openly to those people: stop, otherwise strict action will be taken against them as well.” The government had begun to investigate these posters and had identified the suspected terrorist group of the upcoming Red Fort attack. At 6:10 p.m. on November 10, 2025, the Jammu and Kashmir Police put out a message on X saying that “You can run but you can’t hide.” By then, Umar had arrived in Delhi and parked his car near Red Fort.