In a significant development a week following the deadly car explosion that claimed 13 lives adjacent to Delhi’s iconic Red Fort, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has classified the incident as a deliberate car-borne suicide bombing. The agency announced the arrest of a Kashmir native accused of plotting alongside the vehicle’s driver, identified as Dr. Umar ul Nabi, a medical professional who perished in the blast.
This marks the inaugural instance of a vehicle-borne suicide assault within the national capital, and merely the second such event in India since the 2019 Pulwama tragedy, where a bomber’s explosive-laden car collided with a bus carrying 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in southern Kashmir.
Initial assessments from Ministry of Home Affairs officials, shared shortly after the November 10 detonation, indicated the explosion occurred prematurely, limiting its destructive potential. Investigators attributed this to the suspect’s urgency, spurred by prior police operations that had detained two associates.
The NIA, assuming control of the probe from Delhi Police on November 11, conducted an extensive manhunt culminating in the capture of Amir Rashid Ali in Delhi. Ali, the registered owner of the Hyundai i20 used in the attack, stands accused of aiding the operation. Hailing from Samboora in Pampore, he allegedly traveled to the capital to procure the vehicle, which was repurposed as an improvised explosive device (IED).
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Forensic analysis has conclusively verified the driver’s identity as Dr. Nabi, an Assistant Professor of General Medicine at Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, originally from Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir. Authorities have impounded a second vehicle linked to Nabi for thorough examination. To date, the NIA has interviewed 73 witnesses, encompassing blast survivors.
Collaborating with law enforcement in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh—along with other entities—the NIA is expanding its inquiry nationwide. Officials emphasized ongoing efforts to unravel the broader network and apprehend additional perpetrators.
Concurrently, Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Counter Intelligence Kashmir unit raided a residence in Anantnag’s Malaknag, interrogating a local physician who housed a female doctor from Haryana. The operation yielded a mobile phone now under forensic scrutiny.
Delhi Police sources revealed the discovery of five bullet casings at the scene, including two expended 9mm rounds—ammunition restricted to specialized security units. No deficits were reported among on-site personnel’s stockpiles.
In response, Jammu and Kashmir Police have intensified oversight of automotive and fertilizer vendors across districts like Shopian, Kulgam, Awantipora, Ganderbal, and Anantnag, with particular focus on ammonium nitrate handlers. Verification campaigns involve record audits, site inspections, and compliance checks to prevent diversion of sensitive goods. Business operators are urged to maintain meticulous documentation and report anomalous transactions.
This heightened vigilance follows a major seizure of approximately 2,900 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, in Faridabad, Haryana, on November 9-10. The haul dismantled a seven-member interstate “white-collar” terror cell in Kashmir, leading to the October 30-November 8 arrests of three physicians: Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Adeel Ahmad Rather from South Kashmir, and Shaheen Saeed from Lucknow. Dr. Nabi maintained close ties to Ganaie and Rather; all three except Saeed were affiliated with Al Falah University. Rather was apprehended in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
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