- Terrorists planned multiple attacks in Delhi similar to 26/11 Mumbai attacks
- Targets included Red Fort, India Gate, Constitution Club, and Gauri Shankar Temple
- Attack plans also involved railway stations and shopping malls nationwide
The terrorists wanted to carry out a series of attacks in Delhi on the lines of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, sources have told NDTV, two days after a blast left nine dead near the Red Fort. On the target were top landmarks in the heart of the national capital, including Red Fort, India Gate, Constitution Club, and the Gauri Shankar Temple, an investigation into the Monday evening blast has revealed, besides action being planned at the railway stations and shopping malls across the country.
During the Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008, shootings and bombings had unfolded simultaneously at 12 spots, including the Taj Mahal Hotel, the Oberoi Trident Hotel, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and Leopold Hospital.
The Delhi Conspiracy
The conspiracy in Delhi had been underway since January. The terror module, likely linked to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, had been planning the attack for months, the sources said. The group had been preparing 200 powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), or bombs in simpler terms, to target high-profile areas not only in Delhi but also in Gurugram and Faridabad.
The terrorists were conspiring to incite communal tensions by targeting religious sites, the sources said, adding that some radicalised doctors from Pulwama, Shopian, and Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir were chosen for the job because of their "white collar" cover. They soon had established their base in Faridabad.
Being doctors, they could easily move around NCR without raising suspicion. They then rented rooms in the Dhauj and Fatehpur Taga areas to store the explosives where their activities would go unsuspecting.
The Suspects
Among the suspects in custody are three doctors: Shaheen Saeed, Muzammil Shakeel Ganale, and Adeel Rather. Dr Umar Nabi is believed to be the suicide bomber who died in the blast on November 10. Three other doctors, who worked alongside Dr Saeed at the Al-Falah University in Faridabad, were also detained but are likely to be released.
The blast occurred on a Hyundai i20 car in slow-moving traffic during the evening rush hours near the Red Fort Metro Station, CCTV footage showed this morning. At least nine people were killed, and nearly two dozen were injured in the high-intensity blast.
The terrorists had earlier planned to strike at a crowded place during Diwali, but it could not be carried out, sources have quoted Muzammil, who was arrested with 2,900 kg of explosives used in bomb-making.
Both Saeed and he worked at Al-Falah and had been in touch. Saeed was arrested after an assault rifle and ammunition were found in her car. It was later found that she was tasked with setting up the women's brigade of Jaish-e-Mohammad.
