Red Fort blast accused used ChatGPT and YouTube to make bombs: NIA

New Delhi,UPDATED: May 24, 2026 19:25 IST

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed in its chargesheet in the Red Fort area car blast case that a chargesheeted accused linked to an offshoot of global terrorist outfit Al-Qaida allegedly misused an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for “terror engineering."

According to official sources, the accused also allegedly prepared rocket Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and tested them in the Qazigund forest in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The findings are part of a 7,500-page chargesheet filed by the NIA on May 14 before a special NIA court in connection with the high-intensity vehicle-borne IED blast that took place near Delhi’s Red Fort area on November 10 last year. The blast allegedly killed 15 people and injured several others.

The chargesheet describes what officials called a meticulous and “almost laboratory-grade” approach adopted by the accused for fabricating and using IEDs. One of the accused, Jasir Bilal Wani, allegedly emerged as the “in-house engineer” of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) interim terror module linked to Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). AQIS and its offshoots are notified as terrorist organisations by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The NIA said Jasir stayed at the Al Falah University campus in Faridabad, Haryana, on two to three occasions during 2024-25 to provide “technical support” for the conspiracy. The university came under the scanner after investigators found that three doctors employed there were allegedly involved in the blast case.

The probe found that Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather introduced Jasir to Dr Umer un Nabi, another key accused and the alleged driver of the explosive-laden car used in the blast. According to the chargesheet, Dr Adeel supplied IED ingredients, including powdered sugar and potassium nitrate in the form of NPK fertiliser, to Jasir, while Dr Umer allegedly researched improvised rocket IEDs and guided the operation.

The chargesheet says that Jasir searched YouTube and ChatGPT for information on “how to make a rocket and in what proportion should the mixture be”, highlighting the alleged misuse of digital and AI platforms for terror activities.

Investigators alleged that Jasir prepared rocket IEDs and tested them in the Qazigund forest along with Dr Umer, Dr Muzammil Shakeel and other co-accused. NIA teams later recovered remnants of the devices from deep inside the forest during field investigations based on Jasir’s disclosures.

The NIA further said that Dr Umer allegedly gave Jasir two drones and instructed him to improve their flying range and payload capacity. Investigators said the plan was to weaponise the drones by attaching explosives and use them to target security installations in Kashmir and other parts of the country.

The chargesheet also mentions another test involving a cylinder-based IED in the Youshmurg forest near Mattan in Anantnag. According to investigators, Dr Umer, Jasir, Dr Muzammil and Dr Adeel participated in the test, and NIA teams later seized remnants of the devices from the site.

As part of the investigation, the NIA conducted a controlled simulation in which Jasir allegedly demonstrated before bomb detection and disposal squad experts how to fabricate functional rocket IEDs using commercially available materials.

The agency also detailed the alleged procurement of components used in the trigger mechanism of the vehicle-borne IED. Between December 2023 and January 2024, Jasir allegedly ordered several items through his Flipkart account, including a sensor-inductive proximity switch, heat gun, piezo plate, remote-control relay-switch RF transmitter and receiver kit, flameless rechargeable pocket lighter, soldering kit and LED electronic kit.

The chargesheet states that Dr Umer funded the purchases, while Jasir received the items through cash-on-delivery orders. Investigators alleged that Jasir assembled the components and handed them over to Dr Umer, who later used the trigger mechanism to detonate the vehicle-borne IED near the Red Fort area.

According to the NIA, the accused also fabricated and tested multiple types of IEDs. The explosive used in the blast was identified as Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which investigators said the accused clandestinely manufactured after procuring ingredients and conducting experiments to perfect the explosive mixture.

Earlier, Srinagar Police had busted the blast-linked “doctor” or “white-collar” module involving medical professionals. The NIA said its scientific and forensic investigation later uncovered a wider “jihadi conspiracy” in which several accused, including radicalised medical professionals, were allegedly inspired by AQIS/AGuH ideology to carry out the attack.

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