The National Investigation Agency has arrested a key suspect in the Red Fort blast case, a plumber from Kashmir linked to the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the historic monument on November 10, killing 11 people. This marks the first time investigators have officially described the driver of the vehicle as a suicide attacker and confirmed the use of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.
According to the agency, the accused, Amir Rashid Ali from Samboora in Pampore, allegedly worked with Umar Un Nabi, the suspected suicide attacker who was driving the car at the time of the explosion. Ali had travelled to Delhi to help arrange the purchase of the car, which was later converted into an explosive-laden vehicle.
Ali had earlier accompanied Umar and a third man, Sonu, an employee at the used-car dealership where the i20 was bought, to a petrol pump in Faridabad to obtain a pollution certificate on October 29. Ali was first detained by the Jammu and Kashmir Police shortly after the incident.
The explosion occurred at 6:52 pm on Netaji Subhash Marg when the slow-moving i20, which had changed hands several times and carried a retrofitted CNG tank, burst into flames near the Lal Quila metro station. The blast and resulting fire killed at least 11 people.
Investigators have now confirmed through forensic tests that Umar, an assistant professor of general medicine at Al Falah University, was driving the vehicle when it detonated. Another car linked to him has also been seized for examination. Over 70 witnesses, including survivors, have been questioned as part of the expanding probe.
Earlier, investigators had seized three more vehicles, a Maruti Brezza, a Ford EcoSport, and a Swift Dzire, as they traced the supply chain behind the terror plot. Agencies believe a well-organised network spanning Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh may have planned the attack over several months.
Alongside the NIA probe, the Delhi Police Special Cell has launched a separate investigation to determine whether the suspects sourced explosives and vehicles for a suicide mission similar to the 2019 Pulwama attack. Multiple teams from various states are now tracking potential collaborators, funding routes, and possible foreign connections linked to the case.

NIA arrests Kashmir plumber linked to vehicle IED that killed 11 near Delhi’s Red Fort

Red Fort Blast: Key Conspirator Arrested by NIA

NIA arrests Kashmir plumber linked to vehicle IED that killed 11 near Delhi’s Red Fort

November 17, 2025 | 09:25 IST