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New Delhi: The terror module behind the November 10 suicide car blast near Delhi's Red Fort was planning Hamas-style attacks using weaponised drones and improvised rockets, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found during its investigation. Investigators uncovered the plot after arresting a second Kashmiri suspect linked to suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi, who died in the explosion.
The suspect, identified as Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish, a resident of Qazigund in Anantnag district, was arrested in Srinagar by an NIA team probing the attack. He is accused of providing technical expertise to modify drones and attempt the fabrication of small rockets for serial blasts planned by the "white-collar terror module".
"NIA's investigation has also found that Wani provided technical support for carrying out terror attacks by modifying drones and attempting to make rockets ahead of the deadly car bomb blast," the agency said in a statement.
According to investigators, Danish attempted to build high-capacity drones equipped with larger batteries capable of carrying heavier bombs along with cameras. The plan, officials said, was to fly a weaponised drone over a crowded area to inflict mass casualties -- mirroring tactics used by Hamas during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and by ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
The Jaish-backed module was also experimenting with small homemade rockets that were to be used in a coordinated series of blasts. Danish allegedly worked closely with suicide bomber Umar to prepare these devices.
Danish's name surfaced during the interrogation of the arrested doctors connected to the module. During questioning, he told investigators that he had been introduced to the group in October last year at a mosque in Kulgam and was later called to Umar's rented accommodation linked to Al Falah University in Faridabad to "join the attack".
On Sunday, the NIA arrested Amir Rashid Ali of Pampore, in whose name the i20 car used in the blast was registered. Ali was picked up from Delhi. The NIA said multiple teams are pursuing leads across states to identify every person connected to the conspiracy.
Investigators are also examining whether suicide bomber Umar attempted a "shoe bomb" detonation. A shoe was recovered from beneath the driver's seat near the right front tyre of the i20. Forensic teams found a metallic component inside the shoe and detected traces of TATP—the same explosive used by Richard Reid in the infamous 2001 "shoe bomb plot".
Traces of explosives were also recovered from beneath the rear seat of the car, suggesting the possible use of multiple explosive components in the attack.
