NIA arrests ‘co-conspirator’ in Red Fort blast; worked on drones, rockets

On Sunday, the agency arrested Amir Rashid Ali, a plumber from Kashmir who owned the vehicle that Nabi was driving.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested another “active co-conspirator” linked to the deadly November 10 Red Fort blast, tightening its probe into what officials describe as a highly organised “white-collar” terror module active across several states.

Increased security near the Red Fort blast site on Monday. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The arrested man – identified as Jasir Bilal Wani, alias Danish, a 20-year-old resident of Qazigund in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district – allegedly provided “critical technical support” to the group, including “modifying drones” and “attempting to fabricate rockets”, the NIA said in a statement.

“Preliminary findings suggest Wani was an active co-conspirator and worked closely with the suicide bomber, Umar un-Nabi, who drove the explosive-laden vehicle that blew up near the Red Fort. Wani’s technical skills were leveraged to enhance the module’s strike capability,” said an NIA official, asking not to be named.

This is NIA’s second arrest in the case in as many days. On Sunday, the agency arrested Amir Rashid Ali, a plumber from Kashmir who owned the vehicle that Nabi was driving.

Wani, a Bachelor of Science student at Degree College Lawdora, was initially detained by the Jammu & Kashmir Police for questioning before being handed over to the NIA team stationed in Srinagar. Officials said he lived next to Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, another doctor arrested earlier for his role in the same module.

Meanwhile Wani’s father, Bilal Ahmad, attempted self-immolation on Sunday morning after failing to meet him and his detained brother and succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. Wani had been picked up on Friday along with his uncle, Nazir Ahmad Wani, a physics lecturer.

According to Delhi Police officials assisting NIA, Wani had met several key members of the module at a mosque in Kulgam and later travelled to a rented accommodation near Al-Falah University in Faridabad, where investigators believe parts of the IED and other weapons were being prepared. His technical skills, they said, “were leveraged to enhance the module’s strike capability”.

Investigations said that Nabi had allegedly brainwashed Wani to become a suicide bomber. The two had been working on carrying out suicide bombings across India for over a year. Wani, however, backed out, citing his family’s poor financial condition and that suicide is forbidden in their religion, said officials.

‘Tight network’, movement of arms

NIA officials familiar with the matter said that their probe has uncovered a tightly knit network operating through encrypted platforms, regimented responsibilities and a steady movement of weapons across Delhi, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. “The group communicated primarily through a Signal messaging channel created by Umar nearly three months ago, using a name written in special characters to evade detection… At least four members — Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie, Adeel Ahmad Rather, Muzaffar Rather (Adeel’s brother) and Molvi Irfan — were part of this encrypted hub, believed to be the module’s central coordination platform,” said an official, asking not to be named.

The investigation, the people cited above said, accelerated after the recovery of a weapons consignment from the vehicle of another suspect, Dr Shaheen Shahid, which included a foreign-make rifle and a pistol. The arms trail, officials said, traced back to 2024, when Umar procured the weapons and handed them to Molvi Irfan, alias Mufti, a cleric suspected to have played a key role in recruiting the men.

Officials say interrogations reveal a clear division of labour. “We have also documented a clear division of roles. Financial support was to be marshalled by the three medical professionals – Muzammil, Shaheen and Adeel – with Muzammil playing a central role. Umar had been attempting to prepare several young men for potential suicide missions,” the officer further said.

One such instance dates to October 2023, when Adeel and Umar reportedly visited Irfan at Masjid Ali with a rifle hidden in a bag, the person cited above said. “The two left after cleaning the barrel. A month later, Adeel again visited Irfan’s home with a rifle; Muzammil and Shaheen joined shortly after. The weapon was left under Irfan’s custody overnight before Adeel retrieved it the next day,” the official said, adding that these repeated transfers point to “distributed responsibilities within a trusted core” designed to avoid detection.

The arrest of Amir Rashid Ali has added further clarity on the network, another official said. “We have evidence that Ali conspired with Umar to execute the suicide attack using a vehicle-borne IED,” an NIA officer said. Ali had also travelled with the module’s members to Faridabad and Kashmir on multiple occasions, officials added.

Since taking over the probe, the agency has examined 73 witnesses, including those injured in the blast.

“More arrests are likely in the coming days from across the country,” the official said. “NIA, in coordination with other agencies, is conducting continuous raids in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and other locations. The focus is on identifying the module’s external handlers, financial conduits and potential targets of that plan.”