NIA begins Red Fort blast probe, traces Umar’s final movements

NIA formally began its probe, analysing CCTV footage and debris to trace Umar un-Nabi’s movements and the JeM module behind the Red Fort blast.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday formally visited the Red Fort blast site, combing through debris and CCTV footage to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to Monday’s deadly explosion, officials familiar with the matter said. The visit marks the agency’s first official step since taking over the probe from the Delhi Police.

NIA and IB teams are analysing CCTV footage and seized explosives to determine if the Red Fort blast was deliberate or triggered in panic. (ANI)

Separate NIA teams coordinated with the police in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to collate intelligence gathered on the alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) module believed to be behind the blast. Officials said NIA will soon take custody of several suspects already detained by state police forces.

In Faridabad, a team of NIA officers visited Al-Falah Medical College and Hospital, where the suspected bomber, Dr Umar un-Nabi, had worked. Investigators questioned staff and colleagues about Umar and his arrested associates – Dr Muzammil Ganaie and Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather – to trace their movements and interactions in recent years, said one of the people cited above.

Working closely with the Intelligence Bureau and other agencies, NIA investigators are also reconstructing Umar’s final journey in the white Hyundai i20 from Faridabad to Delhi. They are analysing whether he met, contacted, or was assisted by anyone on the route. Officials confirmed that Umar entered Delhi through the Badarpur border around 8am on Monday, spending nearly 10 hours in the Capital before the blast occurred at 6.52pm outside Red Fort’s Gate No. 1.

Investigators are particularly trying to decode why he parked the car in the Sunheri Masjid parking lot for over three hours before finally driving it to the blast site, investigators said. “Hundreds of CCTV camera footage from Badarpur to Old Delhi are being analysed day and night,” the officer cited above said.

“The explosion was caused by panic and desperation due to raids carried out by the security agencies to nab them. The bomb was premature and not fully developed, thus limiting the impact,” said a government official on Tuesday.

NIA is also analysing all recent JeM-related arrests and detentions across Jammu and Kashmir and the hinterland to determine whether Umar, Adeel, Muzammil or their associates were involved in earlier terror plots or propaganda.

While the preliminary forensic analysis suggests the JeM module used an ammonium nitrate fuel-based explosive in the blast, a final report by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), which the second officer said, “may take a few days” will confirm if any military-grade explosive used.

NIA is also in touch with the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), military intelligence and its counterparts in foreign agencies to know if they heard any online chatter on JeM plans recently, the officials said.