India arrests Kashmir resident in connection with deadly Red Fort bomb attack
By Nina Subkhanberdina, Jonny Hallam, CNN
(CNN) — India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday said it had arrested a man accused of helping plan last week’s deadly car bombing near Delhi’s Red Fort, which killed at least 10 people and injured more than 30.
In a statement posted on social media, the NIA said the suspect was a resident of India-administered Kashmir, “in whose name the car involved in the attack was registered.”
Investigators also named the alleged suicide bomber of the attack, a resident of the Pulwama district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, who died when the vehicle he was driving stopped at a traffic light and exploded.
Investigators said they also seized another vehicle linked to the alleged suicide bomber, who they said worked as an assistant professor at Al Falah University in Faridabad, in the Indian state of Haryana, Delhi’s National Capital Region. CNN has reached out to the university for comment.
On Wednesday, when authorities said the alleged attackers had links to the Al Falah University, the management at the academic institution said they had “no connection with the said persons apart from them working in their official capacities with the University,” according to CNN affiliate News18.
The NIA said it has interviewed more than 70 witnesses and continues to search for others who may have been involved in the bombing.
The blast took place near the city’s iconic Red Fort, also known as the Lal Qila, a 17th century monument and a symbol of India’s independence. The area, a major tourist hub known for its crowded bazaars and street vendors, was immediately thrown into chaos.
The incident, a rare occurrence for the sprawling metropolis of more than 30 million people, unleashed a scene of devastation in the heart of Delhi.
Footage of the aftermath showed thick, orange flames billowing into the pitch-black sky, vehicles twisted and charred from the blast and victims strewn across the street.
Before the explosion, a “slow-moving” vehicle “came to a stop” near a red light around 6:42 p.m. local time, Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha told reporters on Tuesday.
“An explosion occurred in that vehicle. The passengers in the vehicle and people in surrounding vehicles were impacted,” Golcha said.
At least six vehicles and three autorickshaws were set on fire, Delhi’s deputy fire chief said in the hours after the blast.
Emergency crews then arrived at the scene and extinguished the blaze – after receiving a call at 6:55 p.m. local time, Sumit Kumar, a Delhi fire services official, told CNN. The survivors were taken to a nearby hospital.
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