by Our Correspondent in New Delhi
A purported video of Dr Umar un Nabi, the accused driver behind the deadly Red Fort blast on November 10, has surfaced online, showing him discussing what he calls “martyrdom operations.” The attack, carried out using a vehicle-borne IED, killed over 10 people near the historic site in Delhi.
In the video, believed to have been recorded before the attack, Nabi can be heard saying, “Martyrdom operation is when a person presumes that he is going to die at a particular place, at a particular time.” He described the commonly used term “suicide bombing” as “misunderstood,” noting that it has drawn several objections and contradictions.
The video surfaced shortly after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested another alleged co-conspirator in the Red Fort attack, Jasir Bilal Wani. According to reports by Hindustan Times, Wani had been “brainwashed” by Nabi and worked with him on planning coordinated suicide missions across India for over a year.
The NIA, for the first time, referred to Nabi as a “suicide bomber” while announcing Wani’s arrest. Investigators confirmed that the Hyundai i20 involved in the blast, retrofitted with a CNG tank and having changed ownership multiple times, exploded at a traffic signal at 6:52 pm. Forensic analysis confirmed Nabi was behind the wheel when the vehicle burst into flames.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police’s Special Cell has registered a separate case to probe the wider terror module, examining how explosives were sourced and vehicles procured to execute a suicide attack modelled on the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
Security in Delhi courts was tightened following bomb threats at Patiala House, Saket, and Tis Hazari courts ahead of Wani’s court appearance. The threats were later deemed hoaxes, but Rapid Action Force (RAF) teams, bomb disposal squads, and sniffer dogs were deployed as a precaution.
Jasir Bilal Wani, alias Danish, from Qazigund, was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police along with his uncle for questioning in connection with the Faridabad terror module and the Red Fort blast. Earlier arrests, including that of Adil Rather from Uttar Pradesh, were linked to the same terror network.
The emergence of the video and the ongoing NIA probe highlight the systematic planning behind the attack and underscore the efforts by Indian security agencies to dismantle the terror network responsible for one of the deadliest attacks in Delhi in recent years.
