New Delhi, Nov 17 (UNI) In a significant development in the Red Fort blast case security agencies are probing a startling new theory: that the accused Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operative, Dr Umar Nabi, may have acted as a ‘shoe bomber’ to carry out the attack.
Sources within the investigation have revealed that a shoe was recovered from beneath the driver’s seat, near the right front tyre, of Umar Mohammed’s i20 car at the blast site. The discovery has led investigators to consider the ‘shoe bomber’ modus operandi.
Investigators have found a metal-like substance inside the recovered shoe, which is currently believed to have been used to execute the blast. Furthermore, traces of the highly volatile explosive TATP (Triacetone Triperoxide) have also been recovered from the tyre and the shoe at the blast site.
“This points strongly towards the use of a concealed, footwear-based explosive device,” a source confirmed.
The probe has also confirmed that JeM terrorists had gathered TATP in large quantities, planning for a major explosion. It has now been established that the November 10 Red Fort blast involved the use of TATP explosives along with Ammonium Nitrate.
In a parallel financial investigation, agencies have confirmed that a sum of Rs. 20 lakhs was provided to the terror module for the Delhi blast conspiracy through arrested lady doctor Shaheen.
The emerging ‘shoe bomber’ theory draws direct parallels to the December 2001 case of Richard Reid, an Al-Qaeda operative who attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami using TATP and PETN explosives hidden in his shoes.
Investigators suspect that Umar Mohammed may have followed a similar pattern to execute the blast.
Evidence gathered so far, including the recovery from the car’s rear seat area, strongly supports this line of inquiry. The investigation is ongoing.
