Red Fort blast: 13 dead, 24 injured as car explosion rocks Delhi; NIA probes possible terror link

The high-intensity blast, which tore through a Hyundai i20 car carrying passengers, occurred at 6:52 pm near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station, sending shockwaves through the densely packed Old Delhi area. Three people were inside the car when the blast occurred.

The Delhi Police have detained the owner of the car named Salman, who later sold it to Nadeem according to India Today and NDTV.

According to visuals, the explosion was so intense that it reduced the vehicle, a Swift Dzire, to mangled metal and shattered windows in the vicinity.

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha said the explosion took place when the i20 car, registered in Haryana under the name Nadeem, had stopped at a red light.

“The blast occurred in a slow-moving vehicle that had come to a halt at the Red Fort traffic signal. There were occupants in the car, and nearby vehicles were damaged by the impact,” Golcha said.

Firefighters responded swiftly to the inferno that followed the explosion.

“We responded immediately, and seven units were sent to the spot. The fire was brought under control by 7:29 pm,” Deputy Chief Fire Officer A.K. Malik told the media.

Ambulances ferried the injured to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, where several remain critical. Outside, anxious relatives waited for news of their loved ones as police cordoned off the entire stretch leading to the Red Fort.

PM Modi reviews situation, Amit Shah visits blast site

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed on the incident by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who said the blast would be “probed thoroughly” and that “all possibilities” would be examined.

"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the blast in Delhi earlier this evening. May the injured recover at the earliest. Those affected are being assisted by authorities. Reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah Ji and other officials," PM Modi said in a statement.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that all angles are being probed and that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and, National Security Guard (NSG) have joined the Delhi Police in the investigation.

"We are looking into every possible angle, every option will be probed, and whatever comes out from the investigation will be shared with the public," Shah said in a media briefing this evening.

“Within ten minutes of receiving information about the explosion, teams from the Delhi Crime Branch and Special Branch reached the spot. The National Security Guard (NSG) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are now leading a coordinated probe along with the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL),” Shah said, adding that all CCTV footage from the surrounding area was being retrieved and analysed.

The Home Minister later visited LNJP Hospital to meet the injured victims and assess the situation on the ground.

The blast has prompted a nationwide security alert, with Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Hyderabad, and Bihar placed under heightened surveillance. Bihar, which goes to polls in the second and final phase of voting on Monday, has seen particularly tight security deployment. Authorities in Kerala have also ordered additional police presence across sensitive locations.

The explosion occurred just hours after authorities in Faridabad, about 50 km from Delhi, seized 2,900 kilograms of suspected explosives during a raid on a rented property.

The tenant, identified as Dr. Mujammil Shakeel from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, is alleged to be part of a “white-collar” terror network of radicalised professionals providing technical and logistical support to extremist groups.

Investigators are now probing whether the Red Fort blast and the Faridabad explosives recovery are connected.

Senior officials from the NIA and intelligence agencies have not ruled out the possibility of a coordinated operation or testing of explosive material.

The 17th-century Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, lies in one of the most crowded parts of Old Delhi and remains a symbol of India’s sovereignty.

Security agencies have closed the area to the public and are conducting a meticulous sweep to rule out the presence of additional explosive devices.

Late Sunday night, forensic experts were seen collecting samples from the blast site, as Delhi Police and central agencies continued combing operations. Officials said an initial report on the nature of the explosive is expected by Monday morning.