NIA arrests Faridabad man for sheltering Umar Un Nabi; 7th arrest in Red Fort blast case

The National Investigation Agency has made a seventh arrest in the Red Fort car blast case, taking into custody a Faridabad resident accused of sheltering the bomber in the days leading up to the attack. In a press release, the agency named the accused as Soyab, from Dhauj in Faridabad, who they say harboured suicide bomber Umar Un Nabi and helped facilitate his movement shortly before the explosion on November 10. The blast, triggered inside a moving Hyundai i20 near Red Fort, killed 15 people and injured more than 20, one of the worst terror attacks in Delhi in recent years.

What does Soyab stand accused of?

The NIA, in its press release, said Soyab provided both shelter and logistical support to Nabi. The accused, it said, "not only harboured Umar but also extended logistical support to facilitate the terrorist's movements ahead of the attack." His arrest, officials added, has helped investigators map the wider network behind the attack.

"The development follows the earlier arrest of six key aides linked to Umar during the course of the investigation into case RC-21/2025/NIA/DLI," said the NIA.

Who else did NIA arrest in the Red Fort blast case?

The agency has already arrested six others linked to Nabi. On November 20, investigators picked up four men – Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai and Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather from Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Shaheen Saeed from Uttar Pradesh, and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay from Shopian. They were taken into custody in Srinagar on production orders issued by Patiala House court. Prior arrests also include Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car was registered, and Jasir Bilal Wani alias Danish, said to have provided technical assistance for assembling the IED.

Investigators confirmed through forensic examination that the driver killed in the explosion was Nabi, a Pulwama resident and an Assistant Professor of General Medicine at Al Falah University, Faridabad. A second vehicle belonging to him has been seized for examination.

The agency has questioned 73 witnesses so far and continues to conduct searches across multiple states with the support of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Police.