The Indian government has officially declared the deadly car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort a “terrorist incident” and passed a resolution vowing swift action against those responsible, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to Times of India.
Vaishnaw termed the November 10 car blast a “heinous and cowardly” act of “anti-national forces” and said the Cabinet had directed that attackers, their collaborators and their sponsors were to be identified “without delay.” The explosion near the Lal Quila Metro Station during the evening rush killed at least 10 people and injured dozens, and the probe has been entrusted to the National Investigation Agency under the government’s zero-tolerance line on terrorism.
According to Hindustan Times, investigators are now working their way through four core questions: why such a heavily guarded location was chosen, whether the blast was planned or triggered in panic, whether the detonator was hidden in the car’s bonnet, and who was inside the vehicle.
The main suspect, according to police officials, is Dr Umar Un Nabi, who they claimed was driving the white Hyundai i20 that eventually exploded after circling the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk area for hours, repeatedly parking near Sunehri Masjid, moving along Netaji Subhash Marg, and Shantivan Road. CCTV footage reveals that the car was parked up for over three hours near Sunehri Masjid and stopped briefly near a well-known temple about 10 minutes before the blast, raising a possibility he initially considered targeting that spot but moved because it’s a no-parking zone and might attract police attention.
Preliminary forensic investigation has suggested that the bomb was hidden in the bonnet of the car, where high traces of ammonium nitrate were found later, and the police believe that the bonnet was partially shut with rope and a sticker-like object. While the initial reports indicated the presence of two occupants, recent evidence seems to suggest Umar was alone when the car entered Delhi from Faridabad; investigators are now trying to identify two men seen with him earlier at a Faridabad pollution-checking center as the NIA widens its terror probe.
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