(Image source from: PTI)
The attackers aimed to execute a number of assaults in Delhi similar to the 26/11 Mumbai incidents, as informed by sources to NDTV, just two days after an explosion resulted in nine fatalities near the Red Fort. Key locations in the city center were the targets, including the Red Fort, India Gate, Constitution Club, and the Gauri Shankar Temple, as investigations into the Monday evening explosion have disclosed, in addition to planned actions at railway stations and shopping centers throughout the nation. During the Mumbai attacks that happened on November 26, 2008, shootings and bombings occurred at 12 locations, such as the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Oberoi Trident Hotel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and Leopold Hospital. The plot in Delhi had been in the works since January. Sources indicated that the terrorist group, likely connected to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, had been preparing for the attack for several months. The group was getting ready 200 powerful Improvised Explosive Devices or bombs, to hit notable areas not just in Delhi, but also in Gurugram and Faridabad.
According to sources, the terrorists were plotting to create communal discord by attacking religious locations, noting that some radicalized doctors from Pulwama, Shopian, and Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir were selected for the mission due to their respectable professions. They quickly set up their operations in Faridabad. Being in the medical field allowed them to move around the NCR without arousing suspicion. They rented rooms in the Dhauj and Fatehpur Taga areas to hide the explosives where nobody would notice. Among those detained are three doctors: Shaheen Saeed, Muzammil Shakeel Ganale, and Adeel Rather. Dr Umar Nabi is thought to be the suicide bomber who perished in the blast on November 10. Three other doctors, who worked with Dr Saeed at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, were also taken into custody but may soon be let go.
The explosion occurred in a Hyundai i20 car during the evening traffic rush near the Red Fort Metro Station, as shown in CCTV footage released this morning. At least nine individuals lost their lives, and close to twenty were hurt in the powerful blast. The attackers had initially intended to hit a busy area during Diwali, but this plan fell through, according to sources who quoted Muzammil, found in possession of 2,900 kg of materials used for making explosives. Both Saeed and he worked at Al-Falah and had maintained contact. Saeed was apprehended after an assault rifle and bullets were discovered in her vehicle. Further investigation revealed that she was assigned to form a female division of Jaish-e-Mohammad.
