Delhi Red Fort Bombing Linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed's Women's Wing and Pakistan Terror Network

New Delhi:

Investigations have revealed connections between the Delhi Red Fort car bombing and Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, according to police sources on Tuesday. The explosion, which utilized ammonium nitrate fuel oil packed into a Hyundai i20, resulted in nine fatalities.

Jaish-e-Mohammed, founded by internationally designated terrorist Masood Azhar, was previously targeted by Indian military operations following the February 2019 Pulwama attack that killed 40 soldiers and the April 2025 Pahalgam incident where 26 people, predominantly civilians, were shot dead.

The first military response involved airstrikes against the group's training facilities in Pakistan's Balakot region. The second operation, conducted on May 7, employed missiles to destroy the organization's headquarters in Bahawalpur.

Masood Azhar reported that 10 family members, including his brother-in-law Yusuf Azhar, perished in the Bahawalpur strike. Yusuf was married to the terrorist leader's younger sister, Sadiya Azhar.

Since these military interventions, Jaish-e-Mohammed has begun rebuilding with financial and logistical assistance from Pakistan's deep-state. Sources informed NDTV in August that the group had initiated fundraising efforts and increased recruitment activities, promising to "transform the world into a paradise."

A significant component of this reconstruction effort was establishing a women's wing called Jamat ul-Muminat.

Sadiya Azhar was appointed to lead this initiative. Together with another sister, Samaira Azhar, she conducts 40-minute online classes aimed at indoctrinating and recruiting women, according to sources.

Unconfirmed reports suggest Sadiya has been instructed to concentrate on wives of Jaish commanders and women from economically vulnerable backgrounds. The initial recruitment pool comprises individuals from areas surrounding the group's remaining terrorist training camps and bases.

Two apparent connections have emerged between the Delhi Red Fort car bombing and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The first link involves the terrorist module that executed the attack, while the second relates to Shaheena Shahid, a woman in whose Maruti Suzuki Swift an assault rifle and ammunition were discovered.

Another assault rifle was located in a locker at Government Medical College in Anantnag.

Shahid, a medical professional, worked alongside an accomplice, Dr. Mujammil Shakeel, at Al-Falah Hospital in Haryana's Faridabad. Sources told NDTV she might be leading Jaish's women's wing operations in India. Both Shakeel and Shahid were apprehended in Faridabad on Monday evening.

The explosion near Red Fort occurred shortly after Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted an inter-state counter-terrorism operation, during which two medical professionals were arrested. Shakeel was among those detained, and authorities seized approximately 3,000 kilograms of explosive materials, including ammonium nitrate, from his possession.

The other arrested individual was Dr. Adil Ahmed Rather, who was taken into custody in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur.

According to sources who spoke with NDTV, the explosion was triggered by a third member of the Jaish terrorist module, Dr. Umar Mohammed, who reportedly panicked following the arrests of Shakeel and Rather.

The involvement of medical professionals highlights an apparent new operational strategy for the terrorist organization.