NSG & NIA Teams Start Thorough Investigation Into Red Fort Blast: Home Minister Amit Shah

New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the National Security Guard (NSG) and National Investigation Team (NIA) teams, along with the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), have begun a thorough investigation into the Red Fort blast that killed at least eight people.

Shah said that all the nearby CCTV cameras are being examined by the security agencies. "The NSG and NIA teams, along with the FSL, have now begun a thorough investigation. Orders have been given to examine all nearby CCTV cameras. I have also spoken to the Delhi Commissioner of Police and the Special Branch in-charge. The Delhi CP and the Special Branch in-charge are present at the spot. We are exploring all possibilities and will conduct a thorough investigation, taking all possibilities into account. All options will be investigated immediately and we will present the results to the public," said Shah while giving his first reaction over the blast.

Under tight security coverage, Shah is visiting the spot where the blasts took place. He will also meet the injured in the incident.

"This evening, around 7 PM, a blast occurred in a Hyundai i20 car at the Subhash Marg traffic signal near the Red Fort in Delhi. The blast injured some pedestrians and damaged some vehicles. Preliminary reports indicate that some people have lost their lives. Within 10 minutes of receiving the information of the blast, teams from the Delhi Crime Branch and Delhi Special Branch arrived at the spot," he said.

Home Minister Shah has asked the director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Tapan Deka for a detailed report over the incident. Later the Union Home met the injured at the Lok Nayak Hospital hospital and then inspected the spot, where the blast took place.

On a question whether the Red Fort blast was a terrorist attack, Shah told reporters, "We are keeping all angles open and investigating from all angles. It is very difficult to say what caused the incident. Until the samples recovered from the blast site are analyzed by FSL and NSG, it is difficult to say anything about it. However, we do not consider any angle closed. We will investigate all angles with determination."

Shah has called for a high-level meeting tomorrow over the blast in the national capital. Top officials from Central Armed Police Forces, IB, RAW and other stakeholders will be present in the meeting.

Following the blast, a high alert has been sounded in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka. Although the forensic team is examining the incident, the blast took place within 48-hours after security agencies arrested several people including doctors on suspicion of their connection with terrorist organisations. On Sunday, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad foiled a major bio-terror plot involving the deadly toxin Ricin.

Three men including a Hyderabad-based doctor were arrested for planning attacks across Indian cities, allegedly linked to ISIS-Khorasan. The group had conducted reconnaissance of RSS offices and key locations in Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Lucknow, and sourced weapons via drones from across the Pakistan border, sources said.

In another major breakthrough, a joint team of Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana police busted a trans-national terror module linked to the Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). During the operation, security forces seized 2,900 kg of explosive materials, along with arms and ammunition, foiling potential large-scale terror plans. A doctor and a Muslim cleric were nabbed by the police in Faridabad following recovery of large quantities of IED-making material & ammunition.

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