The car bomb blast near the Red Fort in Delhi in November 2025 that killed 11 people has been “officially attributed” to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), a new report from a United Nations Security
Council body said.
The report –– unveiled by the UN body monitoring counter-terrorism sanctions –– suggested that both al-Qaeda and Islamic State have “shown a sustained interest over many years in developing chemical and biological weapons”.
“Theattack in November 2025 on the Red Fort in Delhi was officially attributed to AQIS. There was some concern about AQIS trying to exploit Bangladesh to establish cells there”, said the report.
The report underlined that the Indian authorities in 2025 had apprehended three people –– including a doctor –– who had been tasked by an Islamic State cell board to develop ricin, a highly toxic substance.
It also highlighted that AQIS that emerged from a “fragmented group” has turned into a “regional terrorist entity”. “It established logistics and financial networks, working in decentralised small, scattered cells instead of large units”.
“The AQIS leadership reportedly remained in Kabul, having been issued tazkiras (national IDs), suggesting close cooperation between the Taliban and AQIS,” the report said.
According to the report, AQIS was the backbone of Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan (IMP), which was responsible for multiple attacks, including a suicide bombing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on May 9 that resulted in 21 deaths.
Red Fort Blast
A car explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi on November 10, 2025, killed 11 people. The ghastly attack in the national capital followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that had claimed 26 lives.
In May this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against 10 people in connection with the explosion, naming the accused associated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an affiliate of AQIS.
The blast that involved a car-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) had resulted in multiple injuries and severe damage to property.
According to the NIA probe, Umar un-Nabi, a former assistant professor of medicine at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, was the primary perpetrator. He had died in the blast.
