Thirteen minutes before the explosive-laden Hyundai i20 exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10 last year, bomber Umar-un-Nabi reportedly attempted to park the vehicle near Lal Mandir in Chandni Chowk, indicating that the site may have been his original target. However, heavy traffic and a strong police presence forced him to abandon the plan.
CCTV footage showed Umar trying to park the car at around 6.37pm. He then made a U-turn and drove towards Gate No. 4 of the Red Fort, where the improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated at approximately 6.50pm.
The details emerged from the chargesheet recently filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the blast. The document provides extensive details of the planning and execution of what the agency has described as the first vehicle-borne IED (VBIED) attack reported in the national capital.
According to the NIA, the VBIED was detonated using a remote “command mechanism” fitted into one of Umar’s shoes. A metal piece attached to the heel of one shoe was recovered near the i20 and tested positive for triacetone triperoxide (TATP), potassium and ammonium nitrate. Investigators also recovered a nasal-orifice swab from the vehicle that matched the DNA of Umar’s parents, confirming his identity as the bomber, the chargesheet stated.
A forensic examination of explosives recovered from Umar’s associates in Faridabad, following a blast in Nowgam, Jammu and Kashmir, also detected the same chemicals, further establishing the existence of the terror module.
The chargesheet noted that the stability and impact of TATP are influenced by storage conditions, including a cold environment and the presence of around 10% water. Witnesses reportedly told investigators that Umar kept his room extremely cold and that a foul smell often came from it. He and his associates had also purchased collapsible water bags to store the prepared explosive mixture under wet conditions. Water was reportedly added regularly to maintain its stability.
Post-mortem reports of the victims attributed their deaths to the effects of a “high-intensity blast wave”. The explosion killed 11 people and injured 29 others, while damage to surrounding structures was estimated at Rs 17.7 lakh by agencies including the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Public Works Department (PWD), according to the chargesheet.
The NIA also found that on October 30, Umar met an acquaintance behind Al Falah Hospital and handed him his room key, asking him to retrieve his “shoes” from a cupboard. He was already wearing another pair at the time and appeared visibly distressed, the chargesheet said, as Jammu and Kashmir Police had by then begun raiding members of the module.
While on the run, Umar allegedly stored his urine in a polythene bag rather than leaving the house to dispose of it, according to the woman who owned the house in Nuh where he had sought shelter. The resulting foul smell reportedly prompted her to complain to her husband.
Investigators also recovered a PDF containing material on preparing explosive substances using urea nitrate. The document described an alternative source of urea as “extracting urea from urine”, the chargesheet said.
Among the other material seized was a terror manual titled “Lone Mujahid Pocket Book”, published in Inspire magazine, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and was allegedly being followed by the module. According to the NIA, the manual contained operational guidance relating to explosives, weapons, vehicles, arson and covert activities, including sections dealing with TATP and remote-control mechanisms for detonating IEDs.
On November 7, three days before the blast, Umar also purchased a new T-shirt, a wine-coloured shirt and green cargo trousers from a shop in Nuh, paying in cash, the chargesheet stated.
