Faridabad terror module aimed to target R-Day event, planned Diwali strikes too

The investigation into the Red Fort car blast, declared a “terror attack” by the government on Wednesday, has revealed significant new details, suggesting that the Republic Day celebrations of 2026 were on the radar of the Faridabad-based terror module. The NIA’s initial probe has also found that the “white-collar terror module” was even planning to target key spots during Diwali, but had to abandon the plan at the last moment due to logistical issues.

Data recovered from the mobile phone of Dr Muzammil Ganaie, one of the three doctors arrested in the case, indicated that he made multiple reconnaissance visits to the Red Fort area earlier this year too.

Investigators have now confirmed that the white Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday had been parked for nearly 11 days at the Al-Falah Medical College campus in Haryana’s Faridabad, before being driven into Delhi by Dr Umer un-Nabi, the suspected bomber.

Officials believe Dr Umer, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, may have triggered the explosion prematurely, possibly out of panic as the network came under scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Wednesday issued an alert for a red Ford EcoSport, suspected to be linked to the same module. By evening, the vehicle was traced and seized from Faridabad’s Khandawali area. Officials confirmed that the car was registered in Dr Umer’s name.

Babri demolition anniv attack plan?

Umer, suspected driver of the explosives-laden car, was learnt to be planning an attack in Delhi to coincide with the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6

It also emerged that Umer, Muzammil and other members of the module travelled to Turkiye, where their handlers are suspected to be based, to take instructions

Forensic teams are examining the EcoSport for residual traces of explosives, chemical signatures and digital evidence to determine whether it was used to transport the explosive device or other material used in the blast.

Security agencies have also widened the probe to map the entire operational network of the module, which they suspect may have links beyond Delhi and Haryana. Officials described the explosion as the deadliest attack in the national capital in over a decade.

A senior forensic official told The Tribune that around 40 samples, including two cartridges, live ammunition and traces of two different explosives, were lifted from the blast site. Preliminary analysis has identified one of the materials as ammonium nitrate, while the second, a more powerful compound, is still being analysed. “Its exact chemical composition will be confirmed after a detailed examination,” the official said.

Investigators have also pieced together the final movements of Dr Umer. CCTV footage shows him visiting a Tablighi Jamaat-run mosque, Faiz Elahi Masjid, in Old Delhi around 2.30 pm on the day of the blast where he spent about 15 minutes before driving towards the Red Fort parking near Sunehri Masjid.

In another development, the DNA samples of Dr Umer’s mother were on Wednesday sent to the AIIMS Forensic Laboratory to conclusively establish the bomber’s identity. The samples were collected from his parents in Pulwama on Tuesday and would be matched with the human remains found from the blast site.

Investigators said the probe was now focused on identifying who provided logistical and financial backing to the module and how close it came to executing a terror attack in the heart of the national capital.