Delhi ‘suicide bomber’ Umar Un Nabi’s handlers linked to Turkiye, Afghanistan, early investigation reveals

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police confirmed that Monday’s explosion near the Red Fort Metro Station was a terror attack, with the initial investigation revealing that the handlers of the attack were based in Turkiye and Nangarhar in Afghanistan. These handlers were reportedly in contact with Umar Un Nabi and other members of the “doctor module,” officials said.

Umar Un Nabi, who had escaped during earlier raids by Jammu & Kashmir police, has been identified as the person present in the Hyundai i20 car that detonated near the Red Fort in a ‘lone wolf fidayeen attack,’ killing at least nine people.




Sleuths believe Umar panicked after the arrest of his associate and the main accused in the Faridabad module, Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, and moved the explosives-laden car to evade arrest.

“Umar was continuously on the move, suspecting that police were trailing him. Some investigators believe he may have attempted to dispose of or hide the explosives or the car. Having failed to do so, he triggered the blast,” said a senior officer. While authorities largely agree the explosion was premeditated, further corroborative evidence is being collected to confirm whether the detonation was intentional.

Umar has been described as the lone bomber who died in the attack. Only an arm, believed to be his, was recovered near the vehicle. DNA testing will confirm his identity. CCTV footage also captured him sitting alone in the car before the explosion.

The official toll currently stands at nine, though two to three body parts remain unlinked. DNA analysis may raise the number of casualties to 12. Two live cartridges were also recovered from the blast site.

The involvement of the banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has been confirmed through the arrest of a woman doctor, Shaheen Shahid, from Lucknow. She is believed to be part of the same “doctor module,” tasked with establishing the women’s wing of JeM, called Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, headed by Masood Azhar’s sister, Sadia, in Pakistan.

Raids are ongoing at multiple locations to apprehend the remaining members of the terror group. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is expected to take over the probe from Delhi Police.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 16 and 18 of the UAPA, which deal with conspiracy and punishment for terror attacks.