Deadly Explosion Near Delhi's Red Fort: 8 Dead, 20 Injured in Suspected Terror Attack

New Delhi:

Eight people lost their lives and 20 sustained injuries following a high-intensity explosion in a vehicle near Delhi's Red Fort – a renowned tourist attraction and one of the most densely populated areas in the national capital – on Monday evening.

According to sources who spoke to NDTV, the vehicle was a Hyundai i20 bearing Haryana registration plates, registered to an individual named Tariq. The explosion occurred outside Gate 1 of the Lal Qila metro station. The blast was so powerful that nearby vehicles caught fire. Disturbing footage revealed a van with its doors blown off and a completely destroyed car, while shocked witnesses described body parts scattered across the road.

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha informed reporters, "Today at 6.52 pm a slow-moving vehicle halted at the red light. An explosion occurred in that vehicle and, due to the blast, surrounding vehicles were also damaged. There have been fatalities and injuries. The situation is under surveillance. The Home Minister (Amit Shah) contacted us... information is being relayed to him..."

Shah subsequently briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident. The Prime Minister expressed sorrow regarding the eight deaths and offered prayers for the recovery of all injured individuals.

The exact nature of the explosion remains uncertain at this time, but all state security agencies are on high alert. Security measures have been intensified at the Indo-Nepal border, where Border Security Force personnel and intelligence officers are monitoring all individuals crossing the open border with Nepal.

Sources indicated to NDTV that the immediate priority is providing medical assistance to the injured – nearly two dozen ambulances have been dispatched to the explosion site – and securing the area.

Forensic and technical specialists will then proceed with evidence collection.

Multiple nearby vehicles ignited following the initial blast.

The explosion occurred just hours after Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered nearly 3,000kg of explosives from two residential properties in Faridabad, Haryana.

The materials – including 350kg of ammonium nitrate, a widely-used fertilizer that can be converted into a powerful explosive – were confiscated based on intelligence from arrested J&K-based physician, Adil Rather.

Rather had been apprehended in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur on Sunday after CCTV footage showed him affixing posters supporting terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed throughout Srinagar.

The investigation also identified another medical professional from J&K, Muzammil Shakeel, who was employed at Al-Falah Hospital in Faridabad. According to hospital documentation, he resided on campus. However, authorities discovered at least two off-campus residences connected to him.

When these locations were searched, law enforcement officers were astonished to find 12 suitcases filled with explosive materials. Components related to explosive devices, such as detonators and timers, were also discovered.

An unnamed female colleague, in whose Maruti Suzki Swift Dzire sub-compact sedan an assault rifle and ammunition had been stored, has also been detained. A second rifle and additional ammunition were discovered inside a staff locker at the GMC in Anantnag, where Rather worked until last year.

Earlier today, referring to the raids, arrests, and seizures in J&K and Faridabad, police announced they had dismantled an inter-state and transnational terrorist network linked to at least two prohibited terrorist organizations – the Pakistan-based Jaish and the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an al-Qaeda affiliated group.

In addition to Rather, Shakeel, and the female doctor, five other individuals have been arrested thus far.

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