Al-Qaeda offshoot behind Red Fort blast: UNSC body

The report noted at the end of 2025, Indian authorities had arrested three people, including a doctor, who had been tasked by an Islamic State cell abroad to develop ricin, a type of poison.

The car bomb blast near the Red Fort in the Capital in November 2025 has been “officially attributed” to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), which is also trying to establish cells in Bangladesh, according to a new report from a UN Security Council body monitoring counter-terrorism sanctions.

Security officials investigate the spot where an alleged blast occurred in a car outside Red Fort in New Delhi on November 11, 2025. (HT photo)

The biannual report from the Security Council’s monitoring team for sanctions on al-Qaeda and Islamic State, made public this week, noted that both terror groups have “shown a sustained interest over many years in developing chemical and biological weapons”. The report noted at the end of 2025, Indian authorities had arrested three people, including a doctor, who had been tasked by an Islamic State cell abroad to develop ricin, a type of poison.

In May this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against 10 individuals in connection with the car bomb explosion near Red Fort on November 10, 2025, that named 10 accused linked to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an affiliate of AQIS. The blast, involving a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, caused 11 fatalities, numerous injuries and significant damage to property.

The UN sanctions monitoring team’s report said, “The attack in November 2025 on the Red Fort in Delhi was officially attributed to AQIS. There was some concern about AQIS trying to exploit Bangladesh to establish cells there.”

The report noted that AQIS has “continued to evolve from a fragmented group into a regional terrorist entity; it established logistics and financial networks, working in decentralised small, scattered cells instead of large units”.

“The AQIS leadership reportedly remained in Kabul, having been issued tazkiras (national IDs), suggesting close cooperation between the Taliban and AQIS,” the report said.

According to the report, AQIS formed the backbone of Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), which was reportedly responsible for multiple attacks, including a suicide bombing and detonation of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device near a security post in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on May 9 that resulted in 21 deaths.

Both al-Qaeda and Islamic State have continued their efforts to develop chemical and biological weapons but have so far failed to overcome

“associated technical challenges”, the report said. Instructions on developing such weapons have been widely shared within online terrorist communities, and in February this year, Islamic State’s English-language “Invade” magazine included instructions on developing botulinum toxin and cyanide.

“ISIL-K has shown a particular interest, and over the past 12 months circulated instructions on developing the toxin ricin,” the report said, referring to Islamic State-Khorasan Province or the group’s affiliate focused on South and Central Asia.

The report noted that al-Qaeda’s status and strength in Afghanistan “remained unchanged”. On April 28, al-Qaeda’s official media outlet, As-Sahab Media Foundation, published a statement supporting the Taliban and, for the first time, operations by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) against Pakistan. “While Al-Qaida provided ideological guidance, training and support to TTP in the latter’s insurgency against Pakistan, this public statement was more direct,” the report stated.

The report highlighted the “increased use of cryptocurrency by terrorist groups”, and recommended that the UN should explore the creation of a “dedicated ‘digital currency address’ field in the sanctions list in consultation with relevant Panels of Experts” to counter the phenomenon. ISIL-K is among the groups that have used cryptocurrency to raise funds.

The report further highlighted the threat of “misuse of third parties” in terror financing cases and encouraged the implementation of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations for identifying the ultimate beneficial ownership in terrorism-related investigations.