NIA Arrests Ninth Suspect in Red Fort Blast Case

This marks the ninth formal arrest in the high-profile terror case (RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI). Dar was apprehended in New Delhi and charged under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. A special NIA court remanded him to agency custody until December 26.

According to the NIA, investigations revealed Dar's active participation in the conspiracy behind the blast, which killed at least 15 people and injured dozens in one of Delhi's deadliest recent terror attacks. He had allegedly sworn allegiance to the plot and pledged to undertake self-sacrificial operations. Dar was also in close contact with other accused, including Dr. Umar Un Nabi, a doctor from Pulwama who carried out the suicide bombing, and cleric Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay. The NIA continues to coordinate with central and state agencies to dismantle the entire network, officials said.

The powerful improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in a Hyundai i20 car near Gate No. 3 of the Red Fort on the evening of November 10, causing widespread damage in a crowded historic area. Forensic evidence confirmed Dr. Umar as the suicide bomber. The probe has uncovered a sophisticated “white-collar terror module” comprising educated professionals—primarily doctors, a pharmacologist, and others—who allegedly used their positions as cover for radicalisation, recruitment, planning, and logistical support. The module is allegedly linked to Pakistan-based groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

So far, those arrested in the case include Amir Rashid Ali, a resident of Pampore area of Pulwama who allegedly provided vehicle registration and logistical support, Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish, arrested on November 17 from Qazigund, Anantnag and accused of offering technical expertise, including drone modifications.

On November 20, the NIA took into custody four accused after their initial arrest by the J&K Police. They are Dr. Muzammil Shakeel Ganai, a doctor at Al-Falah University, Faridabad accused of planning and facilitation, Dr. Adeel Ahmed Rather for his planning roles, Wagay, also from Shopian, for ideological radicalisation and recruitment, and Dr. Shaheen Saeed alias ‘Madam Surgeon,’ pharmacologist and a resident of Lucknow on charges of recruiting women into the module.

Dr. Bilal Naseer Malla was later arrested from Baramulla on the charges of harbouring Dr. Umar and destroying evidence and now Yasir Ahmad Dar, allegedly an active conspirator with direct ties to the bomber.

The NIA also detained Soyab on November 25 from Dhauj in Faridabad, Haryana, for harbouring the bomber and providing logistical help and, on November 28, Mohammad Asif, the imam of Bilali mosque in Banbhulpura, Haldwani, Uttarakhand, for ideological and logistical links, along with his associate Nazar Kamal, an electrician who allegedly provided technical and logistical support.

The NIA has conducted multiple raids across J&K including Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, and Anantnag forests, Haryana (Al-Falah University, Faridabad), and Uttar Pradesh, seizing digital devices, documents, and incriminating materials.

On December 1 and earlier, searches were conducted at residences of Wagay, Rather, Ganai, and over-ground workers. Subsequently, a joint search was carried out in Mattan forest of Anantnag with accused Rather and Wani present to locate training spots and concealed items. The agency has emphasised dismantling funding channels, communication networks, and possible cross-border handlers. Further arrests and disclosures are expected as the multi-agency probe intensifies, officials said.