Red Fort blast highlights: Govt calls car explosion near Red Fort as 'terrorist incident'

Red Fort blast LIVE: The interrogation of Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian, a paramedic-turned-imam (cleric) of a mosque in Srinagar’s Chanpora locality, following the recovery of posters bearing the Jaish-e-Mohammad’s insignia on October 19 led Jammu and Kashmir Police to bust the Faridabad terror module and arrest doctors Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie and Aadil Rather on November 10.

“Wagay was picked up and questioned after the recovery of the posters last month and he sang like a canary, revealing details of the white-collar terror network that led to the arrest of the three doctors in Faridabad, Saharanpur and Lucknow besides the recovery of 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate and other chemicals and weapons in Faridabad,” a police officer said, citing the key role he played in prompting medical professionals into the module. Read full report

Red Fort blast LIVE: Cosmetics seller Rajeev Kumar has not slept a wink since the Monday Red Fort blast. Before the ambulances reached the blast site, it was the locals who scampered to save the wounded. Kumar, who has a shop near Red Fort, was one of the several who first responded to the explosion. "I thought it was a cylinder blast. But when I saw people lying on the road, bleeding, I rushed to help an injured man. He was writing in pain," he told PTI.

Red Fort blast LIVE: Dr Shaheen Shaheen, once a government medical lecturer in Kanpur, is among those arrested for her alleged role in a terror module stretching from Kashmir to Delhi. Her ex-husband, Dr Zafar Hayat, an ophthalmologist at KPM Hospital in Lucknow, said that he met her when Shaheen joined Kanpur’s GSVM Medical College, and the two got married in 2003 and have two children. “Shaheen was a calm person, never discussed religion or ideology, and was deeply interested in her studies,” he said. Read more

Red Fort blast LIVE: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the government over the recent blast in Delhi, alleging intelligence failure and demanding accountability from concerned departments. "We heard the statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bhutan, where he assured that action will be taken against the accused. But the question remains, why are intelligence failures happening repeatedly? Who is responsible for such lapses?" Yadav said.

Red Fort blast LIVE: Al Falah University website was hacked on Tuesday by a group identifying itself as 'Indian Cyber Alliance', an archived version of the site accessed by HT show. The website of the university, which is in spotlight after three of its faculty members were linked to the 'white collar' terror module case, displayed a message condemning radicalism. The development came a day after the blast near Red Fort in Old Delhi, where at least 10 people were killed. The university website was restored later.

Red Fort blast LIVE: The Delhi Police observed a two-minute silence in memory of the Red Fort blast victims before launching a workshop on cyber safety for school teachers on Wednesday. Organised in collaboration with the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Directorate of Education, the workshop titled "Cyber -- Samvaad" was held at Adarsh Auditorium at the police headquarters. Around 350 computer teachers from various Delhi schools attended the session.

Red Fort blast LIVE: Passing a resolution identifying the Red Fort car blast as a ‘terrorist incident’ by anti-national forces, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday directed that the investigation into the matter “be pursued with the utmost urgency and professionalism so that the perpetrators, their collaborators, and their sponsors are identified and brought to justice without delay”.

“The situation continues to be closely monitored at the highest levels of the government,” Union Cabinet said.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: IndiGo received a message that there is a bomb threat for five airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, PTI quoted sources as saying. The authorities assessed the threat and found it to be "non-specific", the report said. The sources said the message claimed there was bomb threat to five airports -- Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram. The airline received a message in the afternoon saying that the five airports will be attacked within 24 hours.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed profound grief over the loss of lives in the Delhi blast. In a statement, the cabinet said that it observed two minutes' silence in honour of innocent lives lost. The Cabinet also adopted a resolution, saying it “unequivocally condemns this dastardly and cowardly act that has led to the loss of innocent lives.”

“The Cabinet reiterates India's unwavering commitment to a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The Cabinet also recorded its appreciation for the statements of solidarity and support from many Governments around the world,” the government statement read.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, passed a resolution on Wednesday, expressing profound grief over the blast near Red Fort, which killed at least 10 people. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the cabinet reiterated unwavering commitment to policy of zero tolerance to terrorism in all forms and manifestations.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday expressing solidarity with "dear friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi and "brave people" of India over Delhi blast and said that "terror may strike our cities" but it will never “shake our souls”.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that it has been proved by the Delhi blast that educated people can be extremists too. ''It is no longer true that educated people cannot be extremists. But if they get involved in such activities, they can be more dangerous and if they become doctors, they can be even more dangerous,'' the chief minister said.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: "Only his torso was recovered...we identified him by the clothes he was wearing that day," the grieving sister of Mohammad Jumman, one of the victims of the Red Fort blast told PTI. Out of the 10 dead, eight have been identified so far. The deceased who have been identified included Amar Kataria (35), Mohammad Jumman (35), Ashok Kumar (34), Mohsin Malik (35), Dinesh Kumar Mishra (35), Lokesh Kumar Agrawal (52), Pankaj Saini (23) and Mohammad Nauman (19).

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: The investigators are also probing how the bomb was assembled and where was it placed. Early forensic analysis has indicated that the bomb was likely hidden inside the car’s bonnet, an official told HT. A senior police officer said that Umar’s car appeared normal in CCTV footage from Faridabad on Sunday night, but when it was seen at the Sunehri Masjid parking lot in the afternoon, hours before the explosion, the bonnet appeared only partially shut. Read more

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: Another question troubling investigators is whether the explosion was the result of a deliberate plan or a desperate act. Officers are examining all three possibilities – a premeditated attack, a panic-induced detonation, or an accidental blast caused by an unstable device. “We are examining why the suspect chose Monday for a blast at Red Fort since the monument is shut on Monday. We are probing if the multiple arrests of his associates across states led to panic which resulted in Umar fleeing with the explosive. The improvised plan may never be known as the one who decided and executed was among the people killed in the explosion,” a senior police officer aware of the probe told Hindustan Times.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: Two days after a massive blast rocked Old Delhi, one of the most pressing question remains why the attacker chose the busy intersection outside Red Fort – one of the most tightly policed areas in Delhi. NIA officials are examining whether the explosion was premature and triggered in panic. Officers of Delhi Police privy to the probe said they have reasons to believe that Dr Umar Un Nabi, the prime suspect, planned the blast around the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk, which is mostly packed with shoppers.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: Two people who were among the injured in the blast are battling for their lives in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital. A senior hospital official said a total of 27 people have sustained injuries in the explosion. Of the injured, three are in the ICU, with two reported to be critical. Three patients have taken Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA), according to PTI.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: Delhi Police on Wednesday said that the fire brigade received a call at 4 pm today about a bomb being found at Delhi Airport Terminal 3. However, after investigating the scene, it was ruled a hoax.

The bomb threat was sent via mail to IndiGo's grievance portal. It mentioned several other airports, including Delhi, Chennai, and Goa.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: DCP North Raja Banthia has arrived at the incident site near Red Fort in Old Delhi to review the situation. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to LNJP Hospital, after his return from a two-day visit to Bhutan, and met those injured in the Delhi blast. He stated that those responsible for the conspiracy will be brought to justice.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: The DNA samples of the mother and brother of Dr Umar Nabi, suspected to be involved in the Delhi blast, have been collected and sent to the AIIMS forensic laboratory for further analysis. These samples will be matched with the remains of the bodies kept at Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) had earlier collected the DNA samples of the mother of Dr Nabi.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: Two doctors who had attended the wedding of Dr Adil Ahmad Rather, central figure in the terror module, were detained for questioning by the UP Police on Wednesday. Dr Adil is a 31-year-old postgraduate specialist in internal medicine from Qazigund in Anantnag. The probe by the UP Police began after the arrest of Dr Adil from Saharanpur by the Jammu and Kashmir Police on November 6, which has now revealed how a “wedding event” allegedly served as a covert congregation for the module’s operatives.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: Dr Umar Nabi, who was driving the explosives-laden car near the Red Fort, had planned a powerful blast timed around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6, PTI reported quoting officials. The details have been pieced together after interrogation of the eight people arrested for their alleged links to the interstate ‘white collar’ terror module centred in Faridabad and conversations with their family, friends and neighbours, officials told PTI.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: PM Modi visited the LNJP Hospital and met the survivors of the Red Fort blast, saying the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Upon landing from Bhutan, the prime minister went straight to the hospital to meet those injured after the blast, officials said. He met and interacted with the injured and wished them a speedy recovery, officials said, adding that he was also briefed by officials and doctors at the hospital.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: The Delhi Police has sounded an alert across all police stations, posts, and border checkpoints in the city to trace a red Ford EcoSport car suspected to be linked to the blast case, PTI reported. At least five teams of Delhi Police have been deployed to locate the vehicle, while neighbouring states have also been alerted.

Delhi Blast LIVE Updates: The daughter of a retired health department employee who fulfilled her dream of becoming a doctor, and was known to be "diligent" in her work, is now at the centre of a major terror module busted in Faridabad. Shaheen Shahid, a 43-year-old doctor once employed in UP's Kanpur was among those arrested after an inter-state terror module was busted in Faridabad, and an AK Krinkov assault rifle, three magazines, a pistol with live rounds, and two empty cartridges were reportedly found registered in her name. Read more