NIA arrests four more in Red Fort blast case; total held rises to six as probe continues

Three doctors and a preacher among latest arrests in November 10 Red Fort blast investigation.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said it has arrested four more prime accused in the November 10 car blast near the Red Fort in Delhi, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six.

In a statement, the agency said the four arrested played key roles in the attack. The accused have been identified as Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Pulwama, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather of Anantnag, Dr Shaheen Saeed of Lucknow, and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian. Three of those held are doctors, while one is a religious preacher, the NIA said.

The District Sessions Judge of the Patiala House Court granted custody of the four accused to the NIA. They were taken to Srinagar for further questioning.

NIA Arrests 4 more Prime Accused in Red Fort Blast Case, Taking total to 6 pic.twitter.com/mLPFiFndTg

— NIA India (@NIA_India) November 20, 2025

Two accused arrested earlier

The NIA took over the case on November 11 and had earlier arrested Amir Rashid Ali and Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish. The agency has described Wani as an “active co-conspirator” of suspect Umar Mohammed, also known as Umar un-Nabi.

According to the NIA, Wani provided technical support for planned terror attacks, including modifying drones and attempting to make rockets. He was arrested in Srinagar.

Suicide bomber plot and alleged interstate network

The investigation has also focused on an alleged suicide bomber scouting plan linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Wani’s interrogation by Jammu and Kashmir Police, as cited in the report, indicated that Umar had tried to radicalise him for months, pushing him to become a suicide bomber. The plan reportedly collapsed in April after Wani backed out, citing financial hardship and religious objections to suicide.

Officials believe Umar, described as a 28-year-old doctor from Pulwama, was earlier planning a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack timed around December 6. The report says Umar and co-accused Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie allegedly began accumulating large quantities of chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur, much of it stored near the Al Falah University campus in Faridabad, Haryana.

The report adds that the December plan failed after Ganaie’s arrest and seizure of explosives by Srinagar Police, which officials say may have triggered the premature blast outside the Red Fort.

How the network was detected

The alleged interstate network came to light after JeM posters appeared in Bunpora and Nowgam on the outskirts of Srinagar on October 19. Srinagar Police registered a case and reviewed CCTV footage, leading to the arrests of three locals, Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid, all of whom had prior stone-pelting cases. Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-imam from Shopian, who is accused of supplying the posters and radicalising the doctors.