Anti-Terror Agency NIA Arrests Delhi Suicide Bomber's Accomplice

An accomplice of the alleged Delhi suicide bomber, Dr Umar Un nabi, was arrested on Sunday by the anti-terror agency National Investigation Agency (NIA) from the national capital, six days after the tragedy that claimed 13 lives. 

This was the first time the probe agency has described Dr Umar Un Nabi, who was behind the wheel when the car exploded near the Red Fort on November 10, as a "suicide bomber".

The arrested person has been identified as Amir Rashid Ali, a resident of Samboora in Jammu and Kashmir's Pampore.

Investigators say that the arrested person "had conspired with the alleged suicide bomber to unleash the terror attack". 

"Amir had come to Delhi to facilitate the purchase of the car which was eventually used as a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to trigger the blast," the agency said in a statement.

The white i20 car involved in the attack was registered in his name, say the investigators. 

"Working in close coordination with Delhi Police, Jammu & Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, UP Police and various sister agencies, NIA is continuing its investigation across states. It is pursuing multiple leads to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the bombing and identify others involved in the case," the agency said.

The Delhi Police on Thursday confirmed that the man who carried out the car blast near Red Fort was Dr Umar Un Nabi, who was working at the Al Falah Medical College in Haryana's Faridabad, after forensic DNA testing matched his biological sample with that of his mother.

A senior police officer revealed that after the explosion, Umar's leg was found trapped between the steering wheel and the accelerator of the car, suggesting he was behind the wheel when the blast took place.

The anti-terror agency has also seized another vehicle belonging to Umar. The vehicle is being examined for evidence in the case, in which NIA has so far examined 73 witnesses, including those injured in the blast.

The investigators have termed the Delhi blast a sophisticated 'white-collar' terror module, spearheaded by a group of doctors recently busted by Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Earlier, the Union Cabinet termed the Delhi blast a "heinous terror incident".

In a strongly worded statement, the government called the explosion "a dastardly and cowardly act perpetrated by anti-national forces" and reiterated India's "unwavering commitment to a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."