An investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the Red Fort area car blast case in Delhi has revealed that an accused individual, connected to an offshoot of the Al-Qaida terrorist organization, allegedly exploited an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for what officials are calling “terror engineering.” The accused are also alleged to have constructed rocket-propelled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and tested them in the Qazigund forest, located in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir.
These revelations are detailed in a comprehensive 7,500-page chargesheet filed by the NIA on May 14. The chargesheet pertains to the high-intensity vehicle-borne IED explosion that occurred in the nation’s capital on November 10 of the previous year. According to officials, the chargesheet, which was submitted to a special NIA court, describes a highly calculated approach utilized by the accused in the creation and deployment of IEDs.
As per information available with TahirRihat.com, the chargesheet identifies one of the accused as the “in-house engineer” of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) interim terror module, which has links to Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The Ministry of Home Affairs has designated AQIS and its affiliates as terrorist organizations. Jasir Bilal Wani, the accused, reportedly stayed at the Al Falah University campus in Faridabad, Haryana, on several occasions during 2023-24 to provide “technical support” for the conspiracy as per the chargesheet.
Following the investigation, law enforcement agencies scrutinized the university’s involvement after discovering that three doctors employed there were allegedly connected to the blast. Dr. Adeel Ahmed Rather introduced Jasir to Dr. Umer un Nabi, another key suspect and the driver of the explosive-laden vehicle, the chargesheet states. The explosion resulted in 11 fatalities and numerous injuries, according to the NIA’s findings.
According to the NIA, Adeel played a crucial role in providing IED components to Jasir, including powdered sugar and potassium nitrate obtained from NPK fertilizer. Dr. Umer is alleged to have researched improvised rocket IEDs and provided guidance. The chargesheet indicates that Jasir consulted YouTube and ChatGPT, searching for instructions on “how to make a rocket and in what proportion should the mixture be,” underscoring the alleged misuse of digital and AI platforms for terrorist purposes.
The chargesheet further alleges that Jasir, along with Dr. Umer, Dr. Muzammil Shakeel, and other co-conspirators, constructed and tested rocket IEDs in the Qazigund forest. During extensive field investigations based on Jasir’s disclosures, NIA teams recovered remnants of the devices from deep within the forest. The NIA probe revealed that Dr. Umer, recognizing Jasir’s potential, provided him with two drones (UAVs) and instructed him to improve their flying range and payload capacity.
The NIA reported that the plan was to weaponize the drones by equipping them with explosives for attacks on security installations in Kashmir and other regions of the country. The chargesheet also details another instance where the group tested a cylinder-based IED in the Youshmurg forest near Mattan in Anantnag. Dr. Umer, Jasir, Dr. Muzammil, and Dr. Adeel were involved in this test, and NIA teams later seized the remnants of these tests from the locations at Dr. Adeel’s direction.
During a controlled simulation conducted by the NIA as part of the investigation, Jasir demonstrated his ability to create functional rocket IEDs using commercially available materials in the presence of bomb detection and disposal squad experts, sources said. The most unsettling discovery relates to the trigger mechanism utilized in the vehicle-borne IED detonated by Dr. Umer, according to sources. Between December 2023 and January 2024, Jasir allegedly used his Flipkart account to order various components for the trigger mechanisms.
The ordered components included items such as a sensor-inductive proximity switch, a heat gun, a piezo plate, a remote control relay-switch RF (radio frequency) transmitter and receiver kit, a flameless rechargeable pocket lighter, a soldering kit, and an LED electronic kit, according to the NIA chargesheet. Dr. Umer reportedly funded the procurement, and Jasir received the items via cash-on-delivery orders. Jasir later assembled and provided these components to Dr. Umer for use in constructing IEDs, the NIA reported.
The chargesheet states that Dr. Umer eventually used the trigger mechanism to detonate the VB-IED, causing the explosion near the Red Fort area. The NIA uncovered that the accused had also fabricated and tested various types of IEDs. The explosive used in the blast was identified as Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which was secretly manufactured by procuring the necessary ingredients and conducting experiments to refine the explosive mixture, according to investigators.
Previously, Srinagar police had dismantled the blast-related “doctor” or “white-collar” module involving medical professionals. The investigation is ongoing into this wider “jihadi conspiracy” which was later uncovered through detailed scientific analysis, according to the NIA.
Tahir Rihat (also known as Tahir Bilal) is an independent journalist, activist, and digital media professional from the Chenab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known for his work as the Online Editor at The Chenab Times.