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‘Lal Mandir was original target’: How traffic forced Red Fort bomber to change plans

NEW DELHI: On Nov 10 last year, 13 minutes before the explosive-laden i20 exploded near Red Fort, bomber Umar-un-Nabi tried to park the car near ‘Lal Mandir’ in Chandni Chowk — suggesting it was the first target — but was diverted due to…

‘Lal Mandir was original target’: How traffic forced Red Fort bomber to change plans
‘Lal Mandir was original target’: How traffic forced Red Fort bomber to change plans
The National Investigation Agency filed a charge sheet detailing the Red Fort vehicle-borne IED attack.
NEW DELHI: On Nov 10 last year, 13 minutes before the explosive-laden i20 exploded near Red Fort, bomber Umar-un-Nabi tried to park the car near ‘Lal Mandir’ in Chandni Chowk — suggesting it was the first target — but was diverted due to heavy traffic and police presence there. CCTV footage captured him attempting to park at 6.37pm, after which he took a U-turn and reached near Gate No. 4 of Red Fort, where he triggered the IED at 6.50pm.The details are part of the chargesheet recently filed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Red Fort blast. The chargesheet provides extensive details of the planning and execution of the first-ever vehicle-borne IED (VBIED) attack reported in the national capital.NIA has said the VBIED was detonated through a remote ‘command mechanism’ fitted in one of the shoes of the bomber, Umar-un-Nabi. A metal piece attached to the heel of one shoe was found adjacent to the i20 used by Umar, and it tested positive for triacetone triperoxide (TATP), potassium and ammonium nitrate. The other exhibits from this car included a nasal orifice swab matched with the DNA of Umar’s pare-nts, confirming his iden-tity as the bomber, the chargesheet stated.

“The yield (impact) of TATP and its stability also depends on its storage in a cold environment and presence of 10% water. Witnesses have deposed that Umar used to keep his room extremely cool, and that a foul smell used to emanate from it. He and others had also purchased collapsible water bags, which were used to keep the prepared TATP under wet conditions to keep it safe. The post-mortem reports of the victims furnished by the hospital ascertain the cause of death to be “high-intensity blast wave effect”.

The blast, the chargesheet said, led to the death of 11 people and injuries to 29. NIA found that on Oct 30, Umar met an acquaintance behind Al Falah hospital, gave him his room key and asked him to bring his “shoes” from the almirah in the room. “He was already wearing his shoes at the time. While on the run, Umar was storing his urine in a polythene bag, as observed by the woman who owned the house in Nuh where he had sought shelter.

“Interestingly, an innovative method for preparing explosive substances using urea nitrate has been elaborated in a PDF material seized from the pen drives of the accused wherein an alternative method for the source of urea is mentioned as — ‘extracting urea from urine’.” It also mentioned the seizure of a terror manual, “Lone Mujahid Pocket Book”, which was published in “Inspire” magazine, affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), being followed by the module.

Times of India Verified Source

Reported by Raj Shekhar Jha / TNN / Updated: Sep 10, 2026, 07:20 IST · Syndicated via official news feed

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