Red Fort Blast: Suspect Dr. Umar Mohammed Believed Dead; Links Found to Faridabad Explosives Case

New Delhi: Reports suggest that Dr. Umar Mohammed, who is believed to have driven the car that exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort, was killed in the blast last night. National media outlets report that police suspect one of the bodies recovered from the site to be his and have sent it for DNA testing. It is also reported that Umar’s mother and brothers have been taken into custody for questioning.

Indications point to Umar’s links with the doctors arrested in the major explosives raid in Faridabad recently. Under the leadership of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, raids were conducted across several states, resulting in the arrest of seven people, including two doctors. Authorities had seized 2,900 kilograms of ammonium nitrate and other materials used for making explosives and weapons from Faridabad in Haryana.

Earlier, on October 19, posters bearing the name of Jaish-e-Mohammed threatening security forces had appeared in Nowgam, Jammu and Kashmir, prompting extensive searches. Police officials stated that the arrests included the key figures of a “white-collar terror network” allegedly controlled from Pakistan and other foreign countries.

The doctors arrested in Faridabad were identified as Dr. Mohammed Shakil and Dr. Adil Ahmed Rather. Based on information obtained from their interrogation, police had been searching for Dr. Umar Mohammed.

According to national media, CCTV footage shows a man wearing a dark blue T-shirt and a face mask sitting in the driver’s seat of the Hyundai i20 car that exploded — believed to be Umar. The footage shows only one person inside the car. The explosion occurred at 6:52 p.m. on Monday, near Gate No. 1 of the Lal Qila (Red Fort) Metro Station, at the Subhash Marg traffic signal.

The blast killed nine people and injured more than 25 others, many of them critically, and the death toll may rise further. About 20 nearby vehicles caught fire due to the explosion. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Authorities have not yet issued an official explanation regarding the nature or cause of the explosion.