Investigators have revealed that the white-collar terror module behind the November 10 suicide car bomb attack near Delhi’s Red Fort had planned to weaponise drones and even attempt to make rockets, a move mirroring Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, where drones were used as the main tool of destruction and disruption, according to an NDTV report.
At the center of this plan was Jasir Bilal Wani, also known as Danish, a resident of Qazigund in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. He was arrested in Srinagar by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after being identified as an “active co-conspirator” of suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi. Danish reportedly provided technical support to modify drones and attempt rocket-making ahead of the deadly blast.
“Danish tried to make powerful drones fitted with large batteries that can carry heavier bombs along with cameras,” sources told NDTV. He had prior experience building small weaponised drones. The terror module reportedly planned to deploy a weaponised drone over a crowded area for maximum casualties, a tactic previously used by groups like Hamas and other organisations in Syria.
As reported by PTI, Wani, a bachelor in political sciences, was intensely brainwashed by Umar for several months to become a suicide bomber. He had met the ‘Doctor module’ in October last year at a mosque in Kulgam, from where he was taken to a rented accommodation at the Al Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad. While other members of the module wanted him to work as an over-ground worker (OGW) for the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Umar specifically radicalised him to consider carrying out a suicide mission.
However, Wani backed out of the plan in April this year, citing his poor economic condition and the belief that suicide was forbidden in Islam. Despite this, his involvement as a drone and technical expert added a dangerous new dimension to the interstate terror network linked to JeM.
PTI further reported that Umar, a 28-year-old doctor from Pulwama, emerged as the most radicalised operative in the network spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Officials believe he was planning a powerful vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) blast timed around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6. Following the meticulous arrest of other conspirators and seizure of explosives, Umar panicked, triggering the premature blast outside the Red Fort that killed 13 people.
Had the plan proceeded as intended, investigators fear the terror module could have conducted a large-scale attack resembling a Hamas-style drone strike, with devastating consequences. The NIA continues to pursue multiple leads across states to dismantle the entire network, with Wani identified as the technical brain behind the attempted drone and rocket component.
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