Red Fort blast: Inter-Services Intelligence’s Faisal Iqbal emerges as central figure

NEW DELHI: The ongoing probe into the Delhi Red Fort blast is increasingly pointing to the direct involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Officials say an operation of such scale-one that included setting up the Faridabad module-could not have occurred without institutional backing. Investigators have now identified Faisal Iqbal as the central figure in establishing the module.

According to Intelligence Bureau inputs, Iqbal is an ISI operative specifically tasked with planning and coordinating the operation, which aimed to execute at least 200 blasts. While his Pakistani identity and his ISI affiliation have been confirmed, agencies are still determining whether he operated from Pakistan or Afghanistan, as the ISI intended to keep the planning outside Pakistani soil to avoid detection.

As part of the investigation, agencies have been examining the communication between module members and their handlers. They have identified three handlers behind the plot, with Iqbal being the most significant. He instructed the accused on creating secure Telegram channels, maintaining secrecy, and organising the module's structure. Officials believe the module began taking shape in 2019, materialised by 2021, and became fully operational by 2023.

Investigators say the precision and secrecy with which the module functioned point to the involvement of high-ranking ISI officials, comparable to the planning style seen in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The operation reportedly involved the ISI top brass and Pakistan's armed forces, who oversaw planning, training, logistics, and execution. The scale of ammonium nitrate recovered and the meticulous planning reinforce the belief that trained professionals supervised the Faridabad module.

Alongside Iqbal, the other two handlers identified are Ukasha and Hashim, who operated from the Tora Bora mountains. Together, the three handlers radicalized and guided the module members from abroad. However, the ISI also sought a local collaborator and selected Mufti Irfan Ahmed Wagay from Jammu and Kashmir. Chat transcripts show Wagay's direct role in propaganda, logistics, and coordination. He was behind Jaish-e-Mohammad posters that surfaced in Nowgam in October, which triggered a police probe that ultimately exposed the Faridabad module. (IANS)

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