New Delhi:The probe into the Red Fort blast has revealed a sophisticated terror network operating across borders, with investigators tracing dozens of encrypted bomb-making videos, large quantities of explosive material, and suspected ties to previous attacks in southern India.
According to officials, one of the arrested accused, Dr. Muzammil Ahmad Ganai—who was working at Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad—received 42 instructional videos on assembling improvised explosives from a handler operating under the alias “Hanzullah.” Ganai is suspected of helping the module stockpile materials and providing logistical support to Umar Nabi, the alleged operative who triggered the explosion.
Police earlier recovered nearly 2,500 kg of explosive substances, including about 350 kg of ammonium nitrate, from Ganai’s residence. He had been taken into custody days before the blast, which investigators say may have prevented a far deadlier attack.
Three handlers—known only by the pseudonyms “Hanzullah,” “Nisar,” and “Ukasa”—are believed to have issued instructions through encrypted platforms, directing the module from overseas locations and encouraging a possible suicide operation.
Focus Shifts to High-Profile Foreign Operative
Agencies are also examining the role of another suspected mastermind, Mohammed Shahid Faisal, a Bengaluru-born engineering graduate who has operated online under names like “Colonel,” “Laptop Bhai,” and “Bhai.”
Faisal has been a key figure in several terror modules since 2020 and is linked to:
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Coimbatore car blast (2022)
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Mangaluru autorickshaw explosion (2022)
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Rameshwaram Café blast in Bengaluru (2024)
He vanished in 2012 after investigators uncovered a suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba plot and is believed to have travelled first to Pakistan and later to the Syria–Turkey border region. His digital footprint resurfaced during the NIA’s investigation into the Rameshwaram Café attack.
Officials suspect that “Ukasa,” one of the handlers in the Delhi module, may also be based in Turkey, raising the likelihood that these networks overlap.
Patterns Mirror Coimbatore Suicide Explosion
Investigators noted parallels between the Delhi blast and the 2022 Coimbatore suicide bombing, where engineering graduate Jamesha Mubin died after a car laden with chemicals exploded near a temple.
Searches in that case uncovered potassium nitrate, PETN, and other materials commonly used in improvised devices—many of which were procured using DIY methods circulated over secure messaging apps.
The NIA later determined that Mubin had been radicalised online and had recorded self-confessional videos expressing his extremist leanings. His group reportedly extracted ammonium nitrate from fertilisers—echoing the techniques now surfacing in the Delhi module.
Investigators Eye Wider Network
With multiple handlers, overlapping digital signatures, and similarities to earlier attacks, agencies believe the Red Fort explosion may be part of a broader strategy to orchestrate assaults through remotely guided modules.
Officials say that a deeper forensic analysis of seized devices and communication logs will be crucial in mapping the full extent of the network and establishing whether additional operatives in India were involved.
The investigation is ongoing.
