New Delhi: In a noteworthy breakthrough in the probe into the deadly November 10 car explosion near Delhi's Red Fort, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Faridabad resident accused of aiding the suicide bomber shortly before the attack.
The accused, identified as Soyab from Dhauj in Faridabad, is the seventh person detained in connection with the blast, which claimed 15 lives and left more than two dozen injured. Investigators have alleged that Soyab provided shelter and logistical assistance to suicide attacker Umar Un Nabi in the crucial hours leading up to the explosion.
According to the NIA, the arrest of Soyab has substantially strengthened the agency's understanding of the wider network involved in what is considered one of the most serious terror attacks in the capital in recent years. Multiple teams are presently pursuing leads and conducting searches across states with the support of local police to identify and apprehend more conspirators.
Earlier this month, six of Nabi's alleged associates, including medical professionals from Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, were arrested in Srinagar on court production orders. They are believed to have played important roles in the planning and execution of the bombing.
Two other suspects, Amir Rashid Ali, the registered owner of the blast vehicle, and Jasir Bilal Wani, who is said to have provided technical support, were arrested previously during the investigation. The NIA intends to question the freshly arrested Soyab, along with the six others in their custody. Moreover, so far, investigators have questioned 73 witnesses, including several survivors.
The case was transferred to the NIA by the Union Home Ministry a day after the attack. The agency continues to coordinate with police forces in Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh as efforts intensify to dismantle the entire terror module behind the blast.