Blast near Red Fort was not a suicide attack, suspect triggered explosion in panic: Sources

New Delhi [India], November 11 (ANI): Investigations into the terror attack near Red Fort are progressing rapidly. Initial findings indicate that the car explosion was not a typical suicide blast, but was instead triggered in panic by the suspect.
Security agencies have been conducting raids across multiple locations linked to terror networks and have recovered significant quantities of explosives in Faridabad, Saharanpur, Pulwama, and other areas. Investigators believe the suspect acted hastily under mounting pressure.
Sources told ANI that the suspect did not follow the usual pattern of a suicide car bombing -- he neither rammed the car into a target nor collided intentionally. The blast near the Red Fort did not follow the typical modus operandi of suicide bombers, who aim to inflict maximum damage.
Agency sources also revealed that the bomb was premature and not fully developed. The explosion did not create a crater, and no shrapnel or projectiles were found. The vehicle was still moving when the blast occurred, and the IED was not equipped to cause heavy casualties.
Due to pan-India vigilance and coordinated crackdowns, security agencies successfully averted what could have been a massive attack, the sources said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the Delhi blast case, to submit its investigation report at the earliest, the sources said earlier.
He has also instructed the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to analyse and match the samples collected from the blast site and provide a comprehensive report on the explosion without delay.
Shah gave the directions while chairing the security review meeting at his residence earlier on Tuesday. The car blast near the Red Fort had left eight people dead and several others injured on Monday.
In the meeting, the Home Minister formally handed over the investigation of the case to NIA from Delhi Police, directing the anti-terror agency to conduct a thorough probe into the incident and submit a detailed report at the earliest.
He also instructed the FSL to closely examine and match the samples collected from the blast site, including material evidence and remains recovered from the charred vehicle.
The Home Minister emphasised the need for a swift and coordinated investigation to determine the nature of the explosives used and identify those behind the attack.
"Chairing a high-level security review meeting a day after the Delhi car blast, Union Home Minister Amit Shah decided to hand over the investigation of the incident to the NIA. The NIA was instructed to investigate and submit a report at the earliest. He also instructed the Forensic Science Laboratory to match and investigate the sample specimens collected from the blast spot and come up with the details of the blast at the earliest. It was also instructed to match the samples collected from the bodies in the car that exploded," a source said.
The minister also directed security agencies to "hunt down each and every culprit" involved in the incident, saying those responsible "will face the full wrath of our agencies."
The meeting at the Home Minister's residence was attended by the Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Director Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Sadanand Vasant Date, and Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golchha. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat also joined the meeting virtually.
Shah asked officials to leave no angle unexplored as investigators piece together how the blast occurred and who was behind it.
"Chaired review meetings on the Delhi car blast with the senior officials. Instructed them to hunt down each and every culprit behind this incident. Everyone involved in this act will face the full wrath of our agencies," Shah posted on his X handle.
The blast, which ripped through a slow-moving Hyundai i20 near the Subhash Marg traffic signal by the Red Fort on Monday evening, killed eight people and left several others injured.
The NIA will take over the probe formally from the Delhi Police and examine all aspects of the case, including the materials used in the blast and possible terror links. The transfer of the case to the NIA indicates the Centre's intent to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated investigation into the incident. (ANI)