The CNN-News18 newsbreak on the identity of a key conspirator in the Red Fort area bombing case has been validated today, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) formally arresting Amir Rashid Ali,
the aide of suicide bomber Dr Umar Un Nabi, who allegedly conspired the terror attack in the national capital that claimed at least 10 lives and left several others injured.
A massive blast rocked Delhi on the evening of November 10 when a Hyundai i20 car exploded at 6:52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others. The impact of the explosion was such that several vehicles were damaged, and visuals from the site showed mangled bodies and scattered debris.
CNN-News18 was the first to report that the i20 car used in the explosion had links to Jammu and Kashmir, and that the vehicle had been sold to a resident of Shambhura village in Pulwama. The news outlet also first accessed the photograph of the car’s owner — the same individual who has now been arrested by the NIA.
According to investigators, Ali, a resident of Samboora in Pampore, had allegedly conspired with Dr Umar Un Nabi, a Pulwama native and Assistant Professor at Al-Falah University, Faridabad, to carry out the blast.
The NIA has already established Nabi’s identity as the deceased suicide bomber who drove the vehicle-borne IED.
Ali was arrested in Delhi after an intensive search operation launched by the NIA, which had taken over the investigation from the Delhi Police. The car used in the blast was registered in his name. According to the NIA, Ali had travelled to Delhi to help arrange the purchase of the vehicle that was later turned into a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
The probe agency has also seized another vehicle belonging to Dr Umar, which is now being examined for additional evidence.
Additionally, multiple searches were conducted at his residence in Samboor village, Pulwama. Ali’s brother is currently in the custody of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
The NIA’s investigation — conducted in coordination with Delhi Police, J&K Police, Haryana Police, UP Police and other agencies — continues to pursue multiple leads to expose the broader conspiracy behind the bombing.
