The 7,500-page chargesheet provides the details of the explosion and its links with the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) terror module as uncovered during the investigation. “…accused Umar Un Nabi (A-1) was inside the car at the time of the explosion, and the IED was initiated by him using the above-mentioned command mechanism,” the chargesheet reportedly states.
Nabi was a doctor by profession and worked as an assistant professor at Al Falah University in Faridabad. His presence inside the exploded i20 car was confirmed by a DNA analysis of the biological material recovered from the blast site. In the chargesheet, the NIA has described Nabi as the mastermind of the explosion. The vehicle used for carrying out the explosion was converted into a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED).
Nabi revived theAl-Qaeda-linked terror module
According to the NIA, Nabi revived the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) terror module, a designated offshoot of Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and was its ‘operational in-charge’. The chargesheet reveals that the blast was not a sudden attack but a well-planned conspiracy. Since early 2022, Nabi had been working to revive the dormant AGuH terror module and build a network of terrorists to engage in terrorist activities. He procured weapons and ammunition to be used in the terrorist activities of his terror group.
The charge sheet says that he had been plotting the Red Fort blast for at least two years. He and his associates had been visiting the blast site repeatedly. The chargesheet notes that Nabi and his associates conducted a reconnaissance of the Red Fort in December 2023. However, the blast did not happen on the decided day, but was preponed and carried out in panic after Nabi’s associates were arrested by authorities in Srinagar. The Jihadists selected the Red Fort to carry out the blast as they perceived it as a “symbol of the Indian state”.
NIA found terrorist literature promoting Jihad
During the investigation, the NIA found documents containing detailed instructions and practical guidance for the members of his terror module. The states that the contents of the documents included instructions on operational security, including concealment, stealth infiltration, and the creation of multiple false identities to evade law enforcement.
The documents contained attack strategies, including ambush-style targeted attacks, lone-wolf operations, and martyrdom or suicide strikes. The documents included “Definition of Jihad”, “The Requirements of Jihad”, “The 21 Aims and Objectives of Jihad”, “39 Ways to Serve and Participate in Jihad”, and “44 Ways to Support Jihad”. An AQAP-linked manual, titled “Lone Mujahid Pocket Book/How to Become an Assassin,” was also found by the NIA during the investigation.
The NIA found handwritten notes from his flat at Al-Falah University, revealing the Jihadi network’s intentions of overthrowing democracy and imposing Sharia law. The terrorist network advocated for Jihad against existing political systems, which they described as “Satanic and tyrannical systems”.
The documentary evidence disclosed that the terror group presented Jihad as a religious duty rather than a personal choice. The documents contained messages like “Muslims cannot attain honour without jihad” and called for Gazwa-e-Hind, and praised Islamic insurgencies in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the US.
