The investigation into the ‘white-collar’ terror module linked to the recent Delhi Red Fort bomb blast has revealed that the doctors had been radicalised since 2016 and formed their own terror outfit named “Ansar Interim”.
According to a report, the main motive of the ‘Ansar Interim’ was to carry out terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country.
Citing officials involved in the investigation, the report claimed that Dr Umer-un Nabi, the man who blew the explosive-laden Hyundai i20 car near the Red Fort on November 10 had joined the terror outfit in 2016.
Ansar Interim – from formation to Red Fort blast
Nabi had met accused Ansar Interim members – Dr Muzamil Gannie, Dr Adeel Rather, his absconding brother Muzzafar Rather, Maulvi Irfan, Qari Aamir, and Tufail Gazi had met at Srinagar Eidgah in April 2022 to form the organisation.
Adeel was chosen as the ‘Ameer’ or chief of the Ansar Interim, with Irfan serving as his deputy. Dr Gannie was the treasurer of the organisation, which, according to the officials, was associated with Al-Qaeda.
During the interrogation, the accused doctors told the investigators that they formed the new outfit because their contacts with already active terrorists had been severed.
Red Fort bomber Umar was the most radicalised member of the outfit and assumed the role of coordinator. He, along with Dr Gannie, also handled the finances and weapons procurement for Ansar Interim.
They began to source fertiliser from Sohna and Nuh in Haryana in 2023. The group bought Potassium Nitrate or NPK from a chemical shop in Faridabad. The NPK was reportedly used in the Red Fort blast.
Umar learned to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from YouTube. He managed to prepare Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) — a highly volatile peroxide explosive frequently used in terror attacks worldwide.
Dr Adeel and one Danish helped Umar and Gannie as they prepared TATP that was used in the blast. Initially, Umar had tried to convince Danish to carry out the suicide bombing but the latter backed out at the 11th hour, citing that suicide is considered forbidden in Islam.
As per the report, the investigation has suggested that Umar originally planned to use the Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED). Some religious sites were also on his target.
However, the plan failed after Jammu and Kashmir police arrested Dr Gannie and seized the explosives. This triggered a panic among the accused doctors and Umar improvised the plan, which ended in the Red Fort blast.
How J&K police busted the terror module?
The white-collar terror module was busted after Jammu and Kashmir police registered a case following the appearance of JeM posters in Bunpora, Nowgam on October 19.
During the investigation, the police examined the CCTV footage of the area where JeM posters were found. This led to the arrest of Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid.
During the interrogation they named Maulvi Irfan, who had allegedly supplied posters to them. Irfan had also played a key role in the radicalisation of the doctors. Subsequently, the terror module was busted in Faridabad’s Al-Falah University.