New Delhi, Nov 16: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested a Kashmir resident accused of conspiring with “suicide bomber” Dr Umar Un Nabi in the Red Fort area car blast that killed 13 people. The arrested man, Amir Rashid Ali, is the registered owner of the car used in the attack, the agency said.
According to the NIA, Amir, a resident of Samboora in Pampore, had travelled to Delhi to help facilitate the purchase of the vehicle later turned into a “vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED)”. The agency said this is the first time it has officially identified Umar—who was driving the car when it exploded near the Red Fort on November 10—as a “suicide bomber”, reinforcing that the blast was carried out using a VBIED.
Investigators have forensically confirmed the identity of the deceased driver as Umar Un Nabi, an assistant professor in the general medicine department of Al Falah University in Faridabad and a resident of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. Another vehicle belonging to Umar has also been seized for examination.
The NIA, which took over the probe from Delhi Police, has so far examined 73 witnesses, including injured survivors, and is working jointly with state police forces in Delhi, J&K, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other agencies. Officials said the investigation is focused on uncovering the wider conspiracy behind the bombing and identifying all individuals involved. (Agencies)
