New Delhi: A traffic jam may have changed the course of one of Delhi’s deadliest recent attacks. According to the National Investigation Agency’s chargesheet, Umar un Nabi allegedly did not initially head to the Red Fort to carry out the November 10, 2025 blast. Investigators say his first target was Lal Mandir in Chandni Chowk, but heavy traffic and police presence made it difficult for him to stop there.
CCTV footage cited in the investigation reportedly shows Nabi trying to park his explosives laden Hyundai i20 near the temple at around 6:37 pm. When he could not find a suitable spot, he allegedly turned the car around and drove towards the Red Fort. About 13 minutes later, at around 6:50 pm, the vehicle exploded near Gate No. 4 of the Red Fort.
The blast killed 11 people and injured 29, according to details from the investigation. The incident sent shockwaves through the capital and triggered a major terror probe.
The NIA’s investigation has since uncovered what it describes as a wider conspiracy. In May 2026, the agency filed a 7,500 page chargesheet against 10 accused in the case.
Investigators have alleged that Nabi was at the centre of the plot. He was a doctor and had worked as an assistant professor at Al Falah University in Faridabad. The agency also says he had visited the Red Fort several times before the attack, visits that investigators suspect may have been linked to reconnaissance.
Another striking detail has emerged from the chargesheet investigators allege that one of the accused used AI tools, including ChatGPT, to learn about making an improvised explosive device and obtained some materials through online shopping platforms.
The NIA has also alleged links between the accused and the extremist outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) and says the conspiracy involved radical material, encrypted communications and efforts to prepare explosives.
But there is an important distinction these are allegations made by the investigating agency in its chargesheet. They still have to be tested in court, and the accused are presumed innocent unless convicted.
For investigators, however, the latest reconstruction raises a chilling possibility the Red Fort may have become the attack site not because it was always the first choice, but because a crowded Delhi street and police presence allegedly forced the bomber to change direction.
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