- PM Modi said those responsible for Delhi blast "will be brought to justice"
- He said the Indian security agencies "will get to the bottom of this conspiracy"
- Nine people were killed and 20 others were injured in explosion near Delhi's Red Fort metro station
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the "conspirators" behind the blast near Delhi's iconic Red Fort "won't be spared", a day after nine people were killed in the explosion.
"Our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy. The conspirators behind this will not be spared," he said in Hindi while speaking in Bhutan's Thimphu.
"Today I come here with a heavy heart. The horrific incident that occurred in Delhi yesterday evening has saddened everyone. I understand the grief of the affected families. Today the entire nation stands with them," PM Modi, who kicked off his two-day visit to Bhutan this morning, said.
He said that he was in constant touch throughout the night with all agencies involved in investigating the incident.
PM Modi then switched from Hindi to English to ensure his powerful message resonated around the world and declared, "All those responsible will be brought to justice."
A powerful blast ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station at 6:52 PM, killing nine people and leaving 20 others injured. The explosion in the car, a white Hyundai i20, also damaged many vehicles in one of the busiest areas in the national capital.
Photo Credit: PTI
Sources said that Umar Mohammad, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, owned the i20 and is believed to have been driving the car when the blast was triggered.
Umar, a doctor by profession, has also been a member of a radical doctors' group that coordinated on Telegram and has links to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based terror group, sources said.
Hours before the blast in Delhi, the police in neighbouring Faridabad in Haryana said they had recovered 2,900 kg of explosives and inflammable material from two rented rooms of a Kashmiri doctor, Muzammil Shakeel.
Shakeel and another Kashmiri doctor, Adeel Ahmad Rather, were among eight people who were arrested for allegedly being part of a "white-collar terror" module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
The 2,900 kg of explosive material recovered in Faridabad included ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur.
A link has now also emerged between the blast near Red Fort and the "white-collar" terror module, with sources saying that Umar was also a part of the group.
"Operation Sindoor Is On": Government Sources
Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 in response to a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, is currently "on", the government sources said.
"Any act of terror would be considered an act of war against India. Operation Sindoor is on," they said.
The Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor after finding cross-border links to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were shot dead.
The security forces struck multiple terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing over 100 terrorists.
Pakistan then launched a massive missile and drone attack, which was intercepted by India. In retaliation, India struck airfields in Pakistan. A ceasefire was announced on May 10.
PM Modi's Similar Warning After Pahalgam Attack
PM Modi had issued a similar warning after the Pahalgam attack. Speaking at an event in Bihar two days after the attack, he said that India will "identify, track and punish" the terrorists behind the incident.
"From the soil of Bihar, I am telling the world that India will identify, track and punish every terrorist, their handlers and their backers," he said as he switched from Hindi to English to convey his message.
"We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth... India's spirit will never be broken, and terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure justice is done. The entire nation is firm in this resolve, and everyone who believes in humanity is with us," he said.
"I want to say... in very clear words... that these terrorists and those who conspired towards this attack will get a punishment bigger than they can imagine," he added.
