Investigators Recover Video of Red Fort Blast Suspect Praising Suicide Attacks

Investigators probing the Red Fort car explosion have recovered a video of Umar un-Nabi — the man driving the white Hyundai i20 that blew up — in which he defends suicide attacks, a finding security officials say points to possible attempts at radicalisation.

The 1-minute 20-second clip, believed to have been recorded in April, shows Nabi alone in a room speaking in English and portraying suicide bombings as “martyrdom”. The video was retrieved from a damaged mobile phone found in a water body near his home in Koil, Pulwama, a Delhi Police officer said. Nabi had handed the device to his brother, Zahoor Ilahi, during a visit in September–October with instructions to dispose of it if anything happened to him.

After being detained, Zahoor told investigators about the phone. Forensic experts were able to recover the video and other data from it, a second official said. No agency has officially confirmed the recovery, and the authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.

Sources familiar with the probe said the clip is now part of the investigation, and arrested members of what officials describe as a “white-collar” terror module will be questioned about its purpose.

On Sunday, the National Investigation Agency confirmed that Nabi — a doctor associated with Faridabad’s Al-Falah University — carried out the November 10 suicide attack using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device that killed at least 12 people. His identity was confirmed after DNA from the blast site matched samples from his mother. She and his two brothers were detained soon after his name surfaced.

‘Most Radical of the Group’

Investigators in Srinagar said Nabi appeared to be the most radicalised among a group of doctors linked to the terror network and openly supported suicide bombings. At the time of the blast, he is believed to have been using at least two phones, and investigators are examining how many devices or SIM cards he had access to.

So far, three doctors — Dr Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Shaheen Shahid and Dr Adeel Rather — have been arrested. Rather’s brother, Dr Muzzaffar, suspected to be part of the network, is believed to be in Afghanistan. Police are also searching for Dr Nissar ul-Hassan, who worked with Nabi at Al-Falah University. Several other doctors have been questioned.

The Delhi Police Special Cell, probing the larger conspiracy involving procurement of explosives and vehicles, is examining whether the group was attempting to replicate the 2019 Pulwama attack in which a car bomb killed 39 CRPF personnel.

Former Jammu & Kashmir DGP S.P. Vaid said such videos are used to indoctrinate vulnerable youth in the Valley. He drew parallels with Pulwama bomber Adil Ahmed Dar, who had similarly recorded a video before his attack. “That educated individuals like doctors were willing to kill themselves is alarming,” Vaid said, calling for community leaders to intervene and prevent radicalisation.

Another officer said the NIA will study the content and motive behind the clip, adding that Nabi may have recorded it to justify suicide bombings by framing them as acts of martyrdom.

Former Delhi Police Special Cell chief Ashok Chand said while such videos are not new, signs of suicide attack preparations in major cities demand heightened vigilance. “The intelligence network — from the IB to the local police post — must be operating at its highest level,” he said.