Links have been found between the Delhi Red Fort car bomb and Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, which was also behind the Pulwama attack. The car, a Hyundai i20 packed with ammonium nitrate fuel oil, exploded and killed 13 people.
Jaish-e-Mohammed was founded by globally known terrorist Masood Azhar. The group came under attack from Indian forces after the 2019 Pulwama strike that killed 40 soldiers and the April 2025 Pahalgam massacre in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were shot dead.
In Pulwama’s aftermath, India carried out air strikes that destroyed the group’s training bases in Balakot. Later, on May 7, missiles hit Jaish’s headquarters in Bahawalpur.
Masood Azhar had stated that 10 members of his family, including his brother-in-law Yusuf Azhar, were killed in the Bahawalpur strike. Yusuf was married to Azhar’s younger sister, Sadiya Azhar.
After these setbacks, the group started rebuilding with financial and logistical help from Pakistan’s deep state. In August, sources said Jaish had started a fund-raising drive and stepped up recruitment with promises to “turn the world into a paradise.”
As part of this revival, Jaish created a women’s wing called Jamat ul-Muminat. Sadiya Azhar was made in-charge of this initiative. Along with another sister, Samaira Azhar, she would lead 40-minute online classes to recruit and indoctrinate women, sources said.
Unconfirmed reports suggest she has been asked to target wives of Jaish commanders and women from poor backgrounds. The initial group of recruits is expected to come from areas near the group’s few remaining training camps and bases.
Now, investigators believe there are two clear links between the Delhi Red Fort blast and Jaish. One is the terror module that carried out the attack. The second is Shaheena Shahid, a woman whose Maruti Suzuki Swift was found loaded with an assault rifle and ammunition.
Shahid, a medical professional, worked with another doctor, Mujammil Shakeel, at Al-Falah Hospital in Faridabad, Haryana. Sources said she might be heading Jaish’s women’s wing in India. Both were arrested from Faridabad on Monday evening.
The blast near Red Fort took place just hours after Jammu and Kashmir Police carried out an interstate anti-terror operation. During that crackdown, two doctors were detained, including Shakeel, from whom police recovered about 3,000 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate.
The second doctor, Adil Ahmed Rather, was caught in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district.
According to sources, the Red Fort blast was triggered by another member of the same Jaish module, Dr Umar Mohammed, who panicked after his associates were arrested.
The involvement of doctors, officials said, shows a new strategy being used by the terror group.
Also Read: Delhi blast death toll rises to 13, Red Fort shut for 3 days
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