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Monday mayhem in Delhi: Red Fort blast kills 8 hours after explosives haul in Faridabad
Red Fort car blast: An explosion took place in a car near Red Fort on Monday evening, claims eight lives, coinciding with a major explosives recovery in NCR.
It was a panic Monday for Delhi which saw a deadly explosion, cause of which remains unknown, in a car near the iconic Red Fort in the evening, hours after security forces recovered over 350 kilograms of explosives from a terror suspect's accommodation in Haryana's Faridabad, an NCR city adjoining the national capital.
The blast on Monday evening near the one of the gates of the Red Fort or Lal Quila Metro Station killed at least eight people and injured several others.
Witnesses said body parts could be seen scattered near the site of the explosion which was so strong that it was heard even at ITO, which is a few kilometres away. Track Red Fort car blast LIVE updates
In a press briefing hours after the explosion, home minister Amit Shah said it was an i20 car that exploded and added that all possible angles will be investigated. NIA, NSG and other security agencies were at the spot.
Delhi Police commissioner said at around 6.52 PM, a slow-moving vehicle stopped at the red light and then exploded. "An explosion happened in that vehicle, and due to the explosion, nearby vehicles were also damaged,” the commissioner told reporters.
Blast at Red Fort hours after Faridabad explosives haul
While the cause of the explosion near Delhi's Red Fort remains unknown, it happened hours after police revealed that they seized over hundreds of kilograms of explosives in two hauls from two places in Haryana's Faridabad over Sunday and Monday.
In an operation on Sunday, the Jammu & Kashmir Police, in coordination with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Faridabad Police, foiled a terror plot by recovering around 350 kilogram of explosives, an AK-47 rifle, and a large cache of ammunition from a rented accommodation in Faridabad's Dhauj village, Faridabad.
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The operation, which took place on Sunday, was carried out based on inputs from interrogations of arrested suspects in Jammu & Kashmir. The explosives were recovered from the residence of Dr Muzammil Shakil, a teacher at Al Falah Medical College, originally from Jammu & Kashmir, who had rented the house in Dhauj about three months ago, said police.
On Monday, around 2,563 kilograms of ammonium nitrate was recovered from a house in Fatehpur Taga village of Faridabad, police said. Police detained the house owner for questioning.
The house at Fatehpur Taga village was also rented by Dr Shakil. Varun Dahiya, assistant commissioner of police (Crime), Faridabad, said Dr Shakil had rented the Fatehpur Taga house from the imam about eight months ago.
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“We have found two houses that were rented by the accused. The ammonium nitrate was recovered from the cleric’s property. We are questioning Maulana Istaq, but it is too early to share further details,” an earlier HT report quoted Dahiya.
Both the seizures are part of a busted inter-state and transnational terrorist module linked to the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). Total arrests in the operation stand at seven people, including two doctors, besides recovery of 29 quintals (2,900kg) of IED-making material from Haryana’s Faridabad.
While the Faridabad explosives haul and the Red Fort car blast are not yet confirmed to be linked, authorities have placed several states on high alert following the twin security incidents.
