New evidence has emerged showing that the Kashmiri doctor who carried out the deadly car explosion near Delhi’s historic Red Fort visited a mosque in Old Delhi just hours before the attack. This key lead casts a fresh light on how the tragic event was plotted.

According to investigators, “Dr Umar un Nabi reportedly visited an Old Delhi mosque before executing the deadly blast near Red Fort in the national capital.” He was seen on CCTV footage entering and leaving the religious site, namely the Faiz‑e‑Ilahi Mosque at Ramlila Maidan, opposite Turkman Gate. At that spot he “spent more than ten minutes” inside the mosque before proceeding to the Red Fort at about 2:30 pm on 10 November. This mosque is reported to be a hub of the Tablighi Jamaat’s activities.
The footage thus provides a vital timestamp and location which tie the suspect’s movements into the broader chain of events.

A few hours later the doctor, driving a white Hyundai i20, set off his vehicle at one of Delhi’s busiest tourist destinations. Investigators believe he acted in haste after arrests were made involving his associates from the Jaish‑e‑Mohammad (JeM) terror module, in connection with a major haul of explosives — around 2,900 kilograms of material, plus assault rifles and ammunition. His role has been described as that of the most radicalised member of a “white-collar” terror group.

At the time of the explosion, Umar was behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20. His identity was later confirmed by matching human remains found in the car with DNA samples from his family in Pulwama, Kashmir. He was also reportedly in contact with a handler called “Ukasa” based in Ankara, Turkey.

Investigators say Umar fled Faridabad and travelled via Mewat to Firozpur Jhirka before returning to Delhi via the Delhi–Mumbai Motorway. Along the way, he spent a night at a roadside dhaba, sleeping inside his car. He re-entered Delhi through the Badarpur border early on the day of the blast. CCTV footage along the Delhi–Mumbai expressway shows his car crossing multiple checkpoints on this route.

Authorities are also probing Umar’s second vehicle — a red Ford EcoSport discovered abandoned in a village in Haryana. Sources suggest he and his associates used it to transport and accumulate ammonium nitrate over time for explosive use.

In addition, three individuals have been arrested in the investigation: two Kashmiri doctors — Adil Ahmed Rather and Muzammil Shakeel (also known as Musaib Ganaie) — and a woman, Dr Shaheen Saeed. Dr Saeed is accused of being tasked with forming the JeM women’s wing, Jamaat ul‑Mominaat, in India, recruiting new members under the direction of Sadia Azhar, sister of JeM chief Masood Azhar. All three worked at Al Falah University in Faridabad, which is now under scrutiny in the wider terror-link investigation.