The suspected suicide bomber, identified as Dr Umar Mohammad, roamed extensively across the national capital before detonating an explosives-laden Hyundai i20 car near the Red Fort on November 10, 2025, killing at least 13 people and injuring nearly two dozen others in a shocking terror attack. Police sources, citing DNA matches from charred remains recovered at the blast site, confirmed that the 36-year-old doctor from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, was behind the wheel during the explosion at around 6:52 p.m. near the Red Fort Metro Station.
The incident, which targeted slow-moving traffic and caused multiple vehicles to catch fire, has been linked to a Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror module, marking a brazen assault on one of India's most iconic landmarks and prompting heightened security alerts across the capital. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe, with CCTV footage from approximately 50 locations stitching together the suspect's movements from early morning until the detonation.
Dr Umar, who worked as a faculty member at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, purchased the white Hyundai i20 on October 29, 2025, from a local dealer and subjected it to a routine pollution check the same day before parking it for nearly two weeks. His flight from Faridabad was triggered by the arrests of two associates—Dr Mujammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather—on November 7, which led to the seizure of 2,900 kilograms of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, from premises linked to a "white-collar" terror network of radicalised doctors. Sources indicate that Dr Umar, part of a JeM-affiliated group coordinating via Telegram and with ties to operatives in Kashmir and Turkey, panicked upon learning of the bust and hastily loaded the vehicle with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) before fleeing. He first drove to Firozpur Jhirka in Haryana's Mewat region, spent the night at a roadside dhaba sleeping in the car, and entered Delhi via the Delhi-Mumbai Motorway, crossing the Badarpur toll at 8:13 a.m. on the day of the blast.
Throughout the day, Dr Umar crisscrossed Delhi in a calculated reconnaissance, captured on CCTV in the East District initially, followed by the Central District's Ring Road, the North District, and a brief stop in Ashok Vihar in the Northwest District, possibly for a meal. He was also spotted in high-traffic areas like Connaught Place and Mayur Vihar before visiting a mosque in the Central District. At 3:19 p.m., he arrived at the Red Fort parking area in the North District, eventually parking the vehicle in the Sunehri Masjid lot in Chandni Chowk, where it remained stationary until 6:30 p.m.
Investigators note that footage shows the suspect did not exit the car during this period, suggesting he may have been monitoring the surroundings or awaiting a trigger. The route mapping reveals a deliberate effort to blend into urban chaos, exploiting the city's dense CCTV network while evading immediate detection, and underscores the module's sophistication in using professionals to evade profiling.
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The attack's ties to JeM, a UN-designated terrorist outfit led by Maulana Masood Azhar, have drawn international condemnation, with China expressing solidarity and Israel warning of potential urban strikes. It echoes the group's history of high-profile assaults, such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, and highlights vulnerabilities in radicalisation among educated professionals, as this module allegedly involved at least six doctors from Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in stockpiling arms and financing operations.
Following the blast, authorities arrested nine additional suspects in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and sealed off parts of Delhi, deploying National Security Guard (NSG) teams for post-blast analysis. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Rekha Gupta vowed swift justice, while intelligence agencies probe potential larger plots, including links to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. Dr Umar's family in Pulwama expressed shock and denial, portraying him as a studious individual devoted to his medical career, adding a layer of tragedy to the unfolding investigation.
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