In a pivotal breakthrough in the investigation of the devastating car bomb blast near Delhi's iconic Red Fort, authorities have released harrowing CCTV footage showing prime suspect Dr. Mohammad Umar, alias Umar un-Nabi, strolling near the historic Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque in Old Delhi's Turkman Gate area just hours before the attack. The footage, timestamped November 10, 2025, at approximately 3:45 p.m., depicts the 32-year-old Kashmiri doctor walking purposefully along a narrow lane, his gait steady and unhurried. As he passes the camera, Umar briefly turns his head to the right, offering a clear, albeit fleeting, glimpse of his face - later confirmed by facial recognition software to match the accused with 98% accuracy.
The blast, which claimed at least 9 lives and injured over 20 others when a booby-trapped Hyundai i20 detonated at 6:52 p.m. in the Red Fort Metro Station parking lot, has been officially classified as a terror strike under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Umar, a general practitioner who graduated from Al-Falah University in Faridabad, is believed to have radicalised through ‘online jihadist’ networks, emerging as the alleged mastermind of the "Bleed India" module - a shadowy cell of disaffected medical professionals plotting urban assaults. Investigators call it a “white-collar” module by people who are educated and engaged in profession.
According to police sources, Umar's three-hour sojourn at the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque remains a focal point of scrutiny. Investigators suspect he used the time to rendezvous with accomplices or finalise logistics for the suicide-style bombing, where the vehicle was packed with explosives. "We are piecing together his exact activities inside the mosque," a senior Delhi Police officer said, noting that forensic teams have combed the site for traces of explosive residue and discarded prayer mats potentially laced with communication devices. The car as spotted in one CCTV, confirms that Umar had parked the car inside a parking lot near to the mosque, where the car remained for three hours.
The probe has widened dramatically. Raids in Faridabad and Jammu & Kashmir netted three of Umar's associates - fellow alumni turned extremists - yielding encrypted laptops and ‘hate’ manifestos. Digital forensics revealed Umar's evasion of prior intelligence sweeps, including a narrow escape from a November 8 sting operation that ensnared two plotters. Analysts now link the attack to a broader pattern of low-tech, high-impact strikes inspired by global Islamist fringes, with Umar's medical background aiding in procuring chemicals under the guise of pharmaceutical supplies. Umar was behind the wheels of the i20 car that exploded outside the Red Fort on Monday evening. His another car - a red Ecosport has been seized by Haryana police after that was tracked down at farmhouse belonging to Umar’s acquaintance. It is suspected that the red Ecosport too could have been used to ferry explosives and later meticulously parked there at the farmhouse by one his friends. The vehicle has been sent for forensics.
