A powerful explosion near Delhi's Red Fort on Monday evening killed nine people and left 20 others injured. The blast occurred around 6:52 pm when a Hyundai i20 car exploded at a traffic stop near the Red Fort Metro Station.
A new video from the scene shows a vehicle engulfed in flames while nearby cars were left heavily damaged. Police personnel posted at the Red Fort outpost rushed to rescue those trapped inside an overturned vehicle.
Eyewitnesses said they felt a strong shockwave that rattled nearby residential buildings. "A body was torn into pieces. I saw a hand on the road. I can't describe it in words; it was a very strong explosion," an eyewitness told NDTV in front of the Red Fort.
"It happened all of a sudden. I felt the explosion happened in more than just one car," another eyewitness told NDTV.
Just hours before the explosion, police recovered 2,900 kg of explosives and inflammable materials from two rented rooms belonging to Muzammil Shakeel, a Kashmiri doctor. Investigators confirmed that ammonium nitrate was used in the blast.
According to sources, the car belonged to Umar Mohammad, a resident of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. Umar, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the explosion, was a doctor and reportedly linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit.
"Umar Mohammad and his associates used Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) to carry out the attack. They placed a detonator in the car and executed the terror strike in a crowded area near Red Fort," sources said.
Security has been tightened across the national capital, with police and the National Intelligence Agency investigating the blast.
