NIA Arrests Key Conspirator in Red Fort Blast, Calls Driver a ‘Suicide Bomber’ for First Time

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday said it has arrested one of the main conspirators in the Red Fort blast — a Kashmiri plumber who owned the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the monument on November 10, killing 11 people. The agency also, for the first time, referred to the driver of the vehicle as a “suicide bomber.”

In a statement, the NIA said the accused, Amir Rashid Ali, had allegedly conspired with “suicide bomber” Dr. Umar Un Nabi, who was behind the wheel when the i20 detonated. According to investigators, Ali travelled to Delhi to help arrange the purchase of the vehicle, which was ultimately converted into a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED).

This is the first time the agency has officially termed the car a “vehicle-borne IED.”

“Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car was registered, was arrested from Delhi… The accused, a resident of Samboora, Pampore in J&K, had conspired with the alleged suicide bomber, Umar Un Nabi, to unleash the terror attack,” the NIA said.

Ali was one of two men who accompanied Umar in the Hyundai i20 when it stopped for a pollution certificate at a Faridabad petrol pump on October 29. The third man, Sonu, worked at the second-hand dealership from which Ali had purchased the car. Ali was detained by J&K Police a day after the blast.

At 6:52 pm on November 10, the slow-moving i20 — retrofitted with a CNG tank, repeatedly resold, and bearing registration number HR26CE7674 — exploded at a traffic signal near the Lal Quila Metro station on Netaji Subhash Marg. The resulting fire killed 11 people.

Taking over the probe on November 11, the NIA said forensic tests confirmed that Umar was driving the car when it exploded. “NIA has forensically established the identity of the deceased driver of the Vehicle Borne IED as Umar Un Nabi, a resident of Pulwama District and Assistant Professor in the General Medicine Department at Al Falah University,” the agency said.

Investigators have also seized “another vehicle” owned by Umar, which is now being examined. The NIA said it has so far questioned 73 witnesses, including injured survivors.

Earlier, investigators seized three other vehicles — a silver Maruti Brezza, a red Ford EcoSport, and a Maruti Swift Dzire — as they traced the logistics chain behind the attack. Agencies believe a “white-collar terror network” spanning Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh may have been planning the operation for months.

The Delhi Police Special Cell has registered a separate FIR to probe the broader conspiracy, including the procurement of explosives and vehicles, and whether the blast was intended to mimic the 2019 Pulwama suicide attack.

Security officials said multiple agencies are coordinating to uncover the wider network behind the bombing.

“Teams are pursuing leads across states to expose the full conspiracy. The investigation remains active and multi-layered, with focus on identifying additional suspects, funding routes and possible foreign links,” a senior officer said.