Who is Dr Umar Mohammad, the suspected suicide bomber, involved in the Red Fort blast?

Police are verifying the last known movements of Dr Umar Mohammad, the suspected driver of the white Hyundai car that exploded near the Red Fort metro station in Delhi which killed 13. The probe is to see whether the Pulwama doctor, who is believed to have connections to the failed Faridabad terror plot, triggered a suicide attack in desperation.

How did the police identify Umar Mohammad?

Officers traced the ownership of the white Hyundai i20 vehicle, with registration number HR26CE7674, which exploded near the Red Fort metro station. The number was found to be registered to a certain Mohammad Salman. Police detained the man, and after interrogation, he revealed that the car had been sold to someone else. The car then changed hands multiple times before it went to Umar Mohammad, NDTV reported. Umar reportedly obtained the vehicle from Tariq, who is also from Pulwama. Tariq and the car's previous owner, Amir, have been detained for questioning by the police.

CCTV footage from around the red for also shows a part of Umar’s face inside the car that exploded before the blast. Security and investigators are analysing around 100 CCTV footage clips to trace the man’s movements. Police will also be conducting a DNA test to confirm the driver's identity.

Who is Dr Umar Mohammad?

Dr Umar Mohammad, the suspect of the Red Fort blast, was born on February 24, 1989.

According to sources, Umar had links to the suspected terror group in Faridabad, which was uncovered this week. He was also employed at the Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad, which had also employed Adil Ahmad Rather and Muzammil Shakeel. The two doctors were arrested by J&K police last week, for stocking ammonium nitrate and ammunition in a suspected “white collar” terror module.

Umar was said to be a close associate of Rather. He was also arrested for sticking posters promoting terrorism along with the other two doctors.

According to sources, Umar fled from Faridabad after he learnt of the arrest of the doctors in the terror case and the recovery of 2,900kg of ammonium nitrate over the past few days. According to the source, "Umar Mohammad and his associates used Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO) to carry out the attack. They placed a detonator in the car and carried out the terror attack in a crowded area near Red Fort."

The explosion and suspected attack are believed to have been carried out in panic as the group's terror plan was foiled after the arrests in Faridabad.

Jammu and Kashmir police have also detained Umar’s mother and brothers for questioning.

The Faridabad terror module

Several doctors from Faridabad, including Rather and Shakeel, were arrested over the past few days after being suspected of planning a terror attack. Police had them under the scanner after they were seen putting up posters praising the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad group in Srinagar.

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After raiding GMC, Anantnag, officers recovered an AK-47 rifle and ammunition along with 2,900kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate.

Police also arrested Dr Shaheen Shahid, a woman doctor who is reportedly a friend of Shakeel, and Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, who was arrested by the Gujarat ATS in relation to the terror module.

The Red Fort car blast

A powerful blast tore through a white Hyundai car, which was stopped at a traffic signal near the Red Fort in Delhi yesterday at around 6:52pm. The blast, described as a 'huge fireball', ripped through several vehicles and killed 13 people and injured several others.

According to initial police investigations, the blast site had traces of ammonium nitrate; however, the forensic report, to be released later, will confirm the presence of the compound.

A large-scale operation is being conducted in Faridabad in relation to the blast near the Red Fort metro station.