Investigators looking into the Red Fort blast have revealed new details about Umar Un Nabi, the doctor-turned-terrorist who carried out the attack. According to the reports, Umar used to call himself an “emir,” a term that means ruler or leader, to make other members of his terror module see him as someone above them.
Officers said he behaved like he was their commander, almost like a prince who expected everyone to follow him without question. Sources also said Umar wanted revenge for the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in 2016, which pushed him deeper into radicalisation.
These findings came from questioning several members of the “white collar” terror module that was busted recently in Faridabad, Haryana. Many of the arrested suspects were educated young men working as doctors. During interrogation, investigators recovered a large amount of information about how the group was formed, how they operated, and how Umar became the leader.
The term “emir” for Umar was first mentioned by Muzamil Shakeel, a doctor at Faridabad’s Al-Falah University. Muzamil was the first person to be recruited into the group by Jaish-e-Mohammed handler Maulvi Irfan Ahmed. Another arrested suspect, Shaheen Saeed, also confirmed several details during questioning.
Investigators said Muzamil described himself as a “mere labourer” compared to Umar, who he claimed was far more experienced, intelligent, and influential. The group even named their entire plan “Operation Emir,” making it clear that Umar was the centre of everything.
According to officers, Umar knew nine languages and was considered the smartest in the group. Muzamil told investigators that Umar was so intelligent that he could have become a nuclear scientist if he had chosen a normal career.
Muzamil also said Umar spoke very little but whenever he did, he sounded extremely knowledgeable. “We couldn’t resist him. His words were full of facts and research. He always called himself emir and insisted everything he was doing was for religion,” he told investigators.
Sources said Umar often told the other doctors in the group that the situation in India was worsening for Muslims. He claimed that polarisation had increased so much that a genocide was possible, and that they needed to be mentally prepared.
Investigators were told that several events pushed Umar further towards violence, the removal of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, the communal violence in Haryana’s Nuh-Mewat area in July 2023, and the killing of two young men, Nasir and Junaid, allegedly by cow vigilantes in March 2023.
On the day of the suicide bombing, Umar carried a half-ready IED placed inside the Hyundai i20 car he was driving. Investigators said he used ingredients like acetone (commonly known as nail polish remover), powdered sugar, and urea to prepare the bomb. Initially, the group had planned to transport the explosives stored in Haryana to Jammu & Kashmir, where Umar wanted to carry out a larger attack. When that plan failed, he began sourcing urea from the Nuh-Mewat region and testing chemical reactions in his room at Al-Falah University. Police later recovered bomb-making materials from his suitcase, confirming these claims.
At least 13 people were killed and several others were injured in the car blast near the Red Fort in Delhi. Dr Umar Nabi, driving the car with explosives, committed the attack. The four other main accused, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Pulwama. Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather of Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir), Dr Shaheen Saeed of Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian (Jammu and Kashmir), have been taken into custody by the National Investigation Agency