Not Red Fort, Jewish Global Coffee Chain Was the Intended Target

Faridabad/New Delhi: A major revelation has emerged in the investigation of the Red Fort suicide blast, suggesting that the iconic monument was not the original target of the terrorists. According to a report by The Hindu, a group of radicalised doctors had allegedly been plotting coordinated attacks on outlets of a Jewish-owned global coffee chain across major Indian cities.

Investigators revealed that the accused were part of a so-called “white-collar terror module” that had remained active for nearly four years. The module was reportedly linked to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGUH), the Indian affiliate of al-Qaeda.

Wanted to Send a Global Message to Israel

The report states that accused doctors Muzammil Ahmad Ganai and Adil Ahmad Rather from Jammu and Kashmir, along with Shaheen Saeed from Uttar Pradesh, disclosed during interrogation that there were internal disagreements over target selection.

Their plan was to strike Jewish-linked global coffee chain outlets in Delhi and other metropolitan cities to send an international message protesting Israel’s military action in Gaza. This view, however, differed from that of Umar-un-Nabi, the suicide bomber killed in the Red Fort blast, who ultimately carried out the attack independently.

Some members of the module reportedly wanted to restrict their operations to targeting Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, highlighting deep divisions within the group.

Attempt to Revive Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind

A senior official quoted in the report said the group’s larger objective was to revive Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGUH), founded by Zakir Musa, who was killed in an encounter in south Kashmir’s Tral in 2019. The accused allegedly aimed to re-establish the outfit and impose Islamic law in India.

AGUH’s last known commander, Muzammil Ahmad Tantrey, was neutralised in 2021, after which the organisation had largely gone dormant.

20-Day Intelligence Operation Before the Blast

Jammu and Kashmir Police had been tracking terror links involving Jaish-e-Mohammed and AGUH for nearly 20 days prior to the Red Fort car blast. The probe began on October 19, 2025, after Jaish-e-Mohammed pamphlets surfaced in Srinagar, urging locals not to cooperate with police.

The investigation led officers to a cleric in Shopian and eventually to Faridabad, where raids conducted on November 9 and 10 exposed the terror module. Police recovered nearly 2,900 kilograms of explosive material, along with sophisticated weapons, from the premises.

Bomb-Making Experiments Using Local Materials

Investigators revealed that the accused doctors had extensively studied online videos to learn bomb-making techniques. Large quantities of urea bags were seized, indicating their intent to manufacture explosives using locally available materials to avoid suspicion.

The group conducted multiple chemical experiments to perfect the explosive mixture, officials said.

Attack Carried Out in Haste

According to investigators, Umar-un-Nabi assembled nearly 40 kilograms of explosives in a vehicle and executed the blast in Delhi in apparent haste, possibly after learning about the arrest of other module members.

Police also recovered a 1 minute 20 second video clip from Nabi’s phone, in which he is seen discussing suicide bombing and “martyrdom operations.” Another video was retrieved from a phone discarded in a pit near his house in Pulwama.

The revelations have raised serious concerns about radicalisation among educated professionals and underscore the evolving nature of terror threats in urban India.