The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested another Kashmiri resident in connection with the Red Fort suicide blast, claiming the terror module was preparing Hamas-style drone attacks and even trying to build small rockets for coordinated explosions. The agency said the group was planning multiple strikes before the module was busted.
Second suspect arrested from Srinagar
The latest arrest is of Jasir Bilal Wani, also known as Danish, from Qazigund in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. The NIA, which has been in the Valley to investigate the attack, described Wani as a key associate of the alleged suicide bomber, Umar Un Nabi.
According to officials, Wani played an important role in helping the group prepare for the attack. He was taken into custody from Srinagar after the NIA found evidence linking him directly to the conspiracy.
Drones and rockets being prepared for coordinated blasts
The NIA said its investigation found that Wani had provided technical support to the group. This included modifying drones to carry small but powerful bombs and attempting to make crude rockets.
According to the agency, the plan was to attach cameras and strong batteries to the drones, load them with explosives, and fly them over crowded public places to trigger blasts. Such “drone-delivered bombs” have been used by terror groups like Hamas and ISIS in conflict zones such as Syria, Iraq, Israel and Afghanistan. The module allegedly wanted to copy this model in India.
However, the plan did not materialise because the module was identified and dismantled before it could launch these attacks.
Officials also noted that Pakistan-based groups have used drones in the past. In 2021, two explosive devices were dropped using low-flying drones at the Jammu Air Force Station, marking India’s first drone-based terror attack.
Link to doctor module and meetings in Faridabad
During questioning, Wani, a political science graduate, allegedly admitted that he first met members of the “doctor module” last October at a mosque in Kulgam. This same module had been under investigation earlier.
According to the NIA, suicide bomber Umar asked Wani to visit his rented accommodation associated with Al Falah University in Faridabad to join the terror plan. Wani’s name first came up during the interrogation of arrested doctors who were allegedly part of the network.
The investigators also arrested another Kashmiri man, Amir Rashid Ali, from Delhi on Sunday. The i20 car used in the Red Fort explosion was registered in his name.
Investigators explore ‘shoe bomb’ possibility
The NIA is also examining a new angle, whether Umar Un Nabi acted as a “shoe bomber.” This suspicion emerged after investigators discovered a shoe under the driver’s seat near the right front tyre of the destroyed i20.
Forensic teams found a metallic substance inside the shoe, leading to the possibility that it was used as a triggering device. The pattern resembles the 2001 case of Richard Reid, the terrorist who tried to detonate a bomb hidden in his shoes on an American Airlines flight.
Investigators say traces of TATP (triacetone triperoxide), a highly explosive substance often used by terror groups, were found on both the shoe and the tyre near the blast site.
Along with the suspected shoe bomb, forensic teams have also detected traces of explosives under the rear seat of the car. This suggests that the module may have used more than one explosive mechanism to carry out the attack.
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