Understanding the Red Fort Attack in New Delhi

At about 6:52 p.m. on November 10, 2025, a car laden with explosives blew up near the iconic seventeenth-century Mughal-era Red Fort in New Delhi at a busy traffic signal. The driver of the car, Dr. Umar Un Nabi, a doctor by profession and an assistant professor at Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana, was the suicide bomber, and he died in the incident. He killed 12 more innocent civilians who were near the site of the blast and injured 32 people through this heinous act. The last attack of this nature in Delhi took place in 2011, when a briefcase exploded outside the premises of Delhi’s High Court.

Q1: How did the attack unfold?

A1: The following has been reported, though there has been no official statement or confirmation from India’s government on these claims. On October 19, 2025, some posters were found in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, which said that “Some people shelter these Indian predators in their shops, which obstructs our work; therefore, we want to say openly to those people: stop, otherwise strict action will be taken against them as well.” The government had begun to investigate these posters and had identified the suspected terrorist group of the upcoming Red Fort attack. At 6:10 p.m. on November 10, 2025, the Jammu and Kashmir Police put out a message on X saying that “You can run but you can’t hide.” By then, Umar had arrived in Delhi and parked his car near Red Fort.

Q2: How should this incident be analyzed?

A2: This is alleged to be an act of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, a terrorist organization founded in neighboring Pakistan, to avenge the death of 10 family members of its leader, Masood Azhar. This attack took place just a few months after Operation Sindoor, an Indian tri-services military operation that aimed to neutralize terror groups involved in cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, showing that terrorism cannot be eradicated but can only be controlled. Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the Pahalgam attack of April 22, 2025, that killed 26 civilians (25 Indian and 1 Nepalese) in Baisaran Valley in India’s Jammu and Kashmir. Operation Sindoor led to four days of intense tit-for-tat conflict between India and Pakistan on the border and received widespread international attention. President Donald Trump claims that his administration negotiated a ceasefire between the two neighbors, though India’s government rejects this claim.

If the reports are true, the security forces in Kashmir likely knew that such an incident was likely to occur. The when, where, and how were the imponderables. That there was a terror group that was working on this incident demonstrates that such cells can be located anywhere.

The details of the explosive material captured are revealing. Authorities found several weapons and two tranches of chemicals that can be converted to explosive devices. In all, they amounted to 2,600 kg of explosives in 88 bags, another 360 kg of ammonium nitrate, and 2 AK series of weapons and ammunition. The explosive material was bought in small quantities over an extended period to avoid detection, suggesting long-term planning of an operation.

The most significant aspect of this incident is that it was done by a well-educated person. Umar, who initiated that blast, was an assistant professor of medicine. So are the alleged coconspirators who have been arrested, including Shaheen Sayeed, Muzammil Ahmed Ganaie, Mujammil Shakil, Muzaffar Rather, and Adil Ahmed Rather. Allegedly, all of them seem to have been recruited and radicalized by Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic at the GMC Srinagar hospital. The backgrounds of these perpetrators have given rise to the term “white collar terrorism.” Social media appears to have been used to influence first and radicalize second, motivating even educated people to carry out such acts.

Q3: How have India and other countries responded?

A3: India’s government has declared it an act of terrorism after vetting initial information. It has not named the Jaish-e-Mohammed or Pakistan and has handed over the case to India’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA). While many countries condoled the casualties and some, like the United States, mentioned the incident as a terror attack, there has not been any major statement condemning terrorism. Many countries simply reported the details about the attack without expressing any opinion.

Q4: What lessons emerge from this incident?

A4: First, terrorism can raise its ugly head anytime, anywhere. In 2025 alone, there have been terrorist incidents in Niger, Syria, Pakistan, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and the United States. Second, to deal with such incidents effectively, each incident should be studied in detail, and counterterrorism drills need to be constantly updated and practiced. For example, there was very little shrapnel in the Red Fort incident. Therefore, injuries due to excessive heat created by the blast need a different type of handling than a blast in which shrapnel causes the most damage. Similarly, a terrorist attack on an army camp, such as the one that happened in Niger on June 19, 2025, or the vehicle that rammed into a crowd in New Orleans on January 1, 2025, needs different types of preventive mechanisms and drills. Third, complacency sets in when no terrorist incident happens in a region or a country for some time. This leads to lapses in security awareness and drills.

It is necessary to have a mechanism, particularly in countries that are susceptible to such attacks, to constantly create awareness among the public and also practice drills and procedures to prevent such attacks and to handle them effectively when they occur. Fourth, some mechanisms are in place for sharing the lessons that come out of investigations into terrorist attacks between countries, so that efforts can be made to prevent such attacks from happening. However, the efficacy of the same needs to be rechecked and if need be, remedial measures are undertaken. Fifth, contrary to the belief that less educated youth are vulnerable to getting motivated to carry out such attacks, this incident has served as a reminder that well-educated people are also susceptible to the same.

Q5: What is the likely outlook following the attack?

A5: India’s NIA will try and get to the bottom of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. If the culpability for the Red Fort incident is proven to have emanated from Pakistani soil, India’s government is more likely to resume Operation Sindoor. Preventive measures need to be undertaken to ensure better detection of the accumulation of large quantities of explosive material.

Terrorism does not depend on religion or location. It can target anybody, anywhere. Prudence lies in coming together and not only condemning all forms of it but also taking decisive measures to counter it.

Lt. Gen. S.L. Narasimhan (Retd.) is a senior associate (non-resident) with the Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.