Red Fort Explosion Was Plan B After Pulwama-Style Kashmir Attack Failed

Delhi Red Fort Blast : Sources said that the terrorists behind the Red Fort blast in New Delhi had initially planned a Pulwama-style car bombing in Kashmir, but the arrest of one of their operatives disrupted their plan, forcing them to target the national capital instead.

Officials detailed the core team behind Monday evening’s deadly explosion near Red Fort Metro Station, which killed 13 people and injured several others.

“The core team included five people—Umar [the bomber], cleric Maulvi Irfan, doctors Adeel Rather and Muzammil Shakeel, and a woman. The woman financed Muzammil as she was his girlfriend, but we are still not sure how involved she was. Apart from this, there are two people on the periphery but they seem to be important. These are Adeel’s brother Muzaffar who has fled to Afghanistan and Aamir, who bought the car," sources said.

Foreign Connections and Global Links

The investigation revealed a complex web of international connections.

“There are three handlers, including Ukasa and Hashim. Of these Ukasa and the unnamed handler are Kashmiri but claim to be in Afghanistan. There are also claims about Hashim that sometimes he is in Afghanistan or Pakistan. When Muzammil, Muzaffar and Umar went to Turkey in 2022, Ukasa had provided them accommodation. The three wanted to move to Afghanistan but were unable to do so. There was also a Syrian refugee who was in touch with Ukasa who took care of the trio. The three stayed for 15-20 days and came back." sources said.

Officials added that multiple calls made by cleric Irfan were traced to Afghanistan in recent months, while phone data from operative Muzaffar showed links with both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Roles and Objectives

Sources explained that Maulvi Irfan was responsible for indoctrination, Umar acted as the “executioner”, and the rest of the team handled support roles.

“Their purpose was to prepare for Jihad mentally and by gathering all explosives and making plans. The details are still sketchy as Umar has died but they must have discussed the targets for the attacks. They believed that there would be a genocide against Muslims in India and they would then retaliate," sources said.

Pulwama-Style Plan Foiled

Sources further revealed that the group initially intended a Pulwama-style attack in Kashmir using a car loaded with explosives and fuel oil.

“We have also learnt that they wanted to execute the plan in Kashmir with the help of an explosives-laden car and fuel oil. Exactly like what happened in Pulwama. But Muzammil’s arrest ruined their plans, and Umar, in haste, targeted Red Fort," the sources confirmed.

Nationwide Crackdown

Authorities had already arrested seven people, including two doctors, after discovering a large cache of explosives and weapons in Faridabad, Haryana, exposing a “white-collar terror network” operating across states. Subsequent arrests in Uttar Pradesh, Indore, and Kashmir helped piece together the pan-India network.

Sources said the sudden shift to Delhi suggested that the group had “bitten off more than they could chew” and was mentally unprepared for large-scale attacks.