Red Fort blast: ‘Traces’ of ammonium nitrate found in Dr Umar's Al Falah room as probe goes on

Police believe the module had prepared for “serial blasts” based on the quantity of material recovered across locations.

Investigators have detected “trace” amounts of ammonium nitrate on the bed, floor, window and even on recovered hair strands inside the Al-Falah University hostel room where alleged suicide bomber Umar un-Nabi worked and stayed, officials said on Monday.

“The traces found in the room match what we recovered from the blast site,” an investigator said. (PTI)

The findings, based on a forensic sweep of Room No 13, suggest that Umar may have stored explosive materials in the room – either as stock, in test batches, or while assembling components of the bomb later used in the November 10 Red Fort blast, a senior police officer said. Umar died in the explosion after he allegedly detonated an improvised device inside a Hyundai i20, killing at least 11 others.

Police believe the module had prepared for “serial blasts” based on the quantity of material recovered across locations. Officers said the bomb that destroyed the i20 contained 30-40kg of a mixture of ammonium nitrate and triacetone triperoxide (TATP). “The traces found in the room match what we recovered from the blast site,” an investigator said.

Meanwhile, police said Umar’s close associate and fellow doctor, Dr Shaheen Shahid, has made key disclosures about the group’s operations. Shaheen, who allegedly visited Pakistan at least three times, told investigators that Umar was the “central planner” of the module and that the group used university space – including parts of the laboratory – to study explosive compounds.

Documents and academic research papers in Shaheen’s name were recovered from the campus lab. Police said three expired passports with different addresses were found in her possession, and she had recently applied for a fresh passport in Lucknow. Officers also identified seven bank accounts linked to her.

Investigators said Shaheen, Umar and another associate, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie, had travelled to Turkey and Pakistan, where they allegedly met their Jaish-e-Mohammad handler, identified as Dr Ukasha. “We have verified their foreign travel and have proof of meetings with their handler in Turkey,” a senior officer from the Special Cell said.