Red Fort Blast Accused Umar-un-Nabi Caught on Video Defending Suicide Attacks

A week after the explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort that claimed 13 lives, investigators have recovered a video featuring the prime accused, Dr. Umar-un-Nabi, in which he speaks extensively about suicide attacks and what he describes as “martyrdom operations.” The video, according to agencies, was recorded nearly two months before the blast.

Officials familiar with the investigation said the footage captures Nabi attempting to present an ideological justification for suicide bombings. However, probe findings indicate that his arguments failed to convince even members of his own module, several of whom reportedly opposed the Fidayeen-style plan and refused to support a suicide mission.

In the video, the former doctor-turned-militant characterises suicide attacks as “misunderstood,” claiming they should be viewed as “martyrdom operations” within an Islamic context. “One of the most misunderstood concepts is what has been labelled as suicide bombing. It is a martyrdom operation, and it is known as that in Islam,” he says, before acknowledging that there are several objections and debates surrounding such acts.

🚨 Terrorist Umar recorded a spine-chilling video before the Delhi blast, which has now come to light. pic.twitter.com/jX38wXcHw1

— OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) November 18, 2025

Elaborating on the idea, Nabi describes these operations as those in which an individual embraces certain death at a specific time and place, in contrast to the natural unpredictability of mortality. “Martyrdom operation is when a person presumes that he is going to die for sure at a particular place, at a particular time,” he says in the clip.

Investigators noted that throughout the recording, Nabi attempts to rationalise suicide attacks by portraying them as misinterpreted by the public. At one point, he argues that such actions cannot be accepted in any civilised system, contradicting his own justification. “Such thinking cannot be accepted in any democratic or humane framework because it violates the basic principles of life, society, and law,” he says.

Sources said multiple similar videos were recovered from Nabi’s digital devices. The clips appear to be practice recordings in which he refines arguments intended to persuade module members to participate in a suicide attack. Investigators believe Nabi resorted to these recordings because at least one key member, identified as Danish, had refused to carry out a suicide bombing.

The Red Fort blast, which left 13 dead and several injured, prompted an intensive investigation involving forensic analysis, CCTV examination, and technical surveillance. Agencies quickly zeroed in on Dr. Umar-un-Nabi after identifying his movements on surveillance cameras and confirming that he was driving the i20 car in the vicinity just minutes before the explosion. Forensic materials recovered from the scene also helped trace the plot back to him, establishing his role as a key operative in the attack.