Key Takeaways
- NIA uncovers multi-state terror network with ISIS and JeM links
- Radicalised doctors and cleric central to Delhi blast conspiracy
- Massive weapons cache and explosives recovered across locations
- Foreign handlers from Türkiye directing operations
Investigators have uncovered a sophisticated multi-state terror network with direct links to ISIS and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) following the recent Delhi Red Fort blast. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed alarming details about radicalised medical professionals, foreign handlers, and extensive bomb-making operations spanning Kashmir, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.
Weapons Cache Points to Expanded Threat
Security forces recovered a significant weapons stockpile in Naugam, Jammu & Kashmir, including an M4 assault rifle capable of piercing bulletproof vests. The discovery, which also included magazines, pistols, cartridges, and grenades, occurred shortly after an explosion at a local police station, indicating deep-rooted militant activity in the region.
Cleric’s Radicalisation Network
Maulvi Irfan, a cleric from Shopian now in NIA custody, emerges as the mastermind behind the terror network. Investigation reveals he formed an Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) circle in 2022, specifically recruiting doctors to avoid suspicion while maintaining previous associations with JeM as a sleeper-cell operative.
Three doctors—Muzammil, Adil Ahmad Rather, and Umar Mohammad Nabi—were radicalised through study circles influenced by slain AGuH commander Zakir Musa. Irfan allegedly prepared Dr. Umar for a suicide mission while attempting to resurrect the defunct AGuH as a Kashmir-centric militant group with al-Qaeda ideological links.
Doctors as Weapons Handlers
NIA interrogations reveal shocking details of weapons movement involving medical professionals:
- Dr. Adil and Dr. Umar transported an AK-47 to Irfan inside a mosque for cleaning in October 2023
- The same rifle was recovered from Adil’s locker after multiple transfers
- Irfan supplied a pistol to another doctor, Arif, who test-fired it in Naugam
Bomb-Making Operation in Faridabad
A crucial breakthrough came from a flour grinder recovered from a taxi driver’s home in Faridabad. Investigators allege Dr. Muzammil used the equipment to:
- Process urea and refine chemicals for explosives
- Prepare explosive mixtures using materials stolen from Al-Falah University lab
- Disguise the operation as wedding dowry preparations
Massive quantities of explosives were seized from Muzammil’s rented properties—360 kg of ammonium nitrate from one location and 2,558 kg of suspected explosives from another.
International Terror Links
The investigation confirms extensive foreign involvement in the network:
- Handler Ukasa operating from Türkiye
- Jaish-e-Mohammed linked handler Hanjullah
- 42 bomb-making videos, including drone attack tutorials, sent to operatives
- Muzammil and Umar met Syrian ISIS commander in Türkiye in 2022 with JeM facilitation
The revelations point to an increasingly sophisticated and internationally connected terror infrastructure within India, raising serious security concerns about ISIS’s expanding footprint in the region.
