(Image source from: AFP)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken into custody four additional main suspects linked to the explosion on November 10 outside the Red Fort in Delhi, raising the total arrests in this matter to six. Following orders from the District Sessions Judge at Patiala House Court, the four suspects have been placed in NIA detention for ten days. The NIA has marked the suspects as Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather from Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Shaheen Saeed from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay from Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir. Investigations by the NIA have found that all of them significantly contributed to the terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of numerous innocent individuals and injured many others. In a quick move, the NIA previously arrested two other individuals: Amir Rashid Ali, the owner of the car involved in the explosion, and Jasir Bilal Wani, also known as Danish, who assisted the terrorist with technical support.

The anti-terror agency, assigned by the Union Home Ministry of the Government of India to lead the investigation right after the incident, is collaborating with several state police departments to find and detain every individual connected to the terrorist group involved in the tragedy. The NIA's investigation into the Delhi explosion disclosed that the suspects initially intended to carry out rocket bomb and drone-based attacks in areas with high security, and were looking for technical specialists to help with their plan. Further insights from the NIA showed that the group had been trying to adapt drone technology for a system that could deliver explosive rockets. According to investigators, their goal was to enhance drones to fire rocket-like bombs capable of leading to mass destruction and widespread fear, a strategy that has been typically used by organizations like Hamas and ISIS.

The blast killed fourteen individuals and injured many others when a Hyundai i20 filled with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) exploded on a crowded road near Delhi’s Red Fort. This event took place just hours after police found a large amount of explosives at Al Falah University in Faridabad, revealing what investigators call a highly advanced terror scheme carried out by a “white-collar terror network.”