A Delhi court on Tuesday extended by seven days the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of Amir Rashid Ali, an accused in the Red Fort blast case that killed 15 people earlier last month.
Amir, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, was produced before Principal District and Sessions Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna, who granted the NIA’s request for further custodial interrogation. He had earlier been remanded to seven-day NIA custody on December 2.
The agency has so far arrested seven individuals allegedly linked to what it has described as a “white collar” terror module unearthed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Fifteen people were killed and more than two dozen were injured on November 10 after an IED exploded inside a Hyundai i20 car near the Red Fort. The vehicle was driven by Umar Un Nabi, an assistant professor in the General Medicine department at Al Falah University, Faridabad.
The NIA confirmed Umar died in the explosion and identified him as a resident of Pulwama district.
Investigations revealed that the car used in the attack was registered under the name of Amir Rashid Ali.
According to the NIA, “Amir had come to Delhi to facilitate the purchase of the car which was eventually used as a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device to trigger the blast.”
The agency has also seized a second vehicle belonging to Umar, which is being examined for forensic and digital evidence.
The NIA has examined 73 witnesses, including several blast survivors, and continues to pursue leads connected to the alleged terror financing and facilitation network behind the attack.
Further custodial interrogation, the agency told the court, is required to unravel the conspiracy and track financial and logistical support connected to the case.
