Delhi Red Fort blast: Focus on how suspects procured huge explosives cache

The probe into the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed at least 12 people and injured several others, has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday (November 11) transferred the car blast case to the NIA after links emerged connecting the incident to the Faridabad terror module, where a large cache of explosive material was seized, PTI reported.

A high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, killing at least 12 people and gutting several vehicles, officials said.

Meanwhile, security agencies are focusing on how a sophisticated "white-collar" terror module managed to acquire and store a huge quantity of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, the substance suspected to have been used in Monday's deadly blast.

The attack has once again highlighted the ease with which restricted chemicals can be weaponised, with officials trying to trace the logistics and procurement network of the recently busted inter-state terror cell. Ammonium nitrate is a dual-use chemical, widely valued as a popular nitrogen fertiliser and used extensively in the construction sector for controlled blasting in stone quarries. (Scroll down and read all details)

NIA takes over the probe

This is a clear indication that the blast, which has so far claimed 12 lives, is being considered by the government as an act of terror, as the NIA is mandated to probe terror cases only. "The blast case has been handed over to the NIA," a source told PTI.

The decision came hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the security situation in the national capital and other parts of the country following the blast.

Shah has called another security review meeting on Tuesday afternoon. He has said top investigating agencies are probing the blast and they will go in-depth into the incident.

The blast took place in a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, killing at least 12 people and gutting several vehicles.

PM in Bhutan

After the blast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took stock of the situation and expressed condolences over the deaths. No terror outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The police are scanning CCTV footage to determine the route of the vehicle before the blast occurred. They are questioning locals and asking eyewitnesses to share information about any suspicious activity in the lead-up to the incident.

Mobile dump data is being gathered, and dossiers of suspected terrorists are being scanned.

According to a fire department official, six cars, two e-rickshaws and one autorickshaw were gutted in the fire.

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