…. Except for Jammu and Kashmir, the rest of the country had been almost free from terrorist attacks for the past decade. But the car bomb blast near the Red Fort in Delhi once again reminded people of the old days when single or series of blasts would shake the country at regular intervals. Due to the absence of any major terrorist incident in the rest of the country for a long time, common people were confident that terrorists would not be able to carry out attacks. But in the recent past, their worries have increased due to the recovery of destructive material and arrest of suspected terrorists from Kashmir Valley to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Faridabad in Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi.

It cannot be ignored that for some time now, news of the arrest of one terrorist module or another has been coming from various parts of the country. Recently, a doctor from Hyderabad was caught in Gujarat with materials for making deadly chemicals and weapons. Two of his associates, both from Uttar Pradesh, were also arrested.

In April of this year, when terrorists killed 26 people in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, after questioning their religion, India responded with Operation Sindoor, delivering the biggest blow to cross-border terrorism to date, destroying key bases of Pakistan-based terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. They must have been plotting a major retaliation since then. The manner of the Red Fort blast and the conspiracy theories that have emerged so far suggest a link to the jihadist terror attacks of six years ago in Pulwama. Although the full truth will only be revealed after an investigation, the events behind it appear to be interconnected.

Following the installation of posters in support of Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar, police arrested some terrorist sympathizers and stone-pelters. They identified a cleric involved in suspicious activities. After questioning him, Dr. Adil, a resident of Anantnag, was arrested from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. When police brought him to Srinagar and interrogated him, an assault rifle was recovered from his hideout at the government hospital in Anantnag. Further investigation led to the discovery of Dr. Muzammil, a resident of Pulwama district.

Based on this information, when the police raided Al Falah Medical College in Dhauj, Faridabad, they found 360 kilograms of explosives, an AK-47 rifle and 84 cartridges, along with a timer, gelatin sticks, and other materials. The investigation then led the police to Fatehpur Taga village in Faridabad, where they were shocked to find a pile of explosives in a house. Fatehpur Taga village is four kilometers from Dhauj. Dr. Muzammil had rented this house from Maulana Ishtiyak. The recovery of approximately 3,000 kilograms of ammonium nitrate explosives is one of the largest recoveries.

So far, those arrested in this case are highly educated and from affluent families. Dr. Muzammil is a physician and taught at Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad, and none of those arrested—Maulvi Irfan Ahmed of Shopian, Maqsood Ahmed Dar, Arif Nisar Dar and Yasir ul Ashraf of Srinagar, and Zameer Ahmed Ahangar of Ganderbal—are poor, unemployed, or illiterate.

Dr. Umar Nabi, who was killed in the Red Fort blast, was a doctor at Faridabad’s Al Falah Medical College with an MD in medicine. Dr. Adil is his associate. Another of their associates, Dr. Shaheen, is from Lucknow. A rifle was recovered from her car. Additional doctors may be involved in the Faridabad module. Only an investigation will reveal why they formed this terrorist module. How did they gather so many explosives and weapons, who were behind it, and where was the plot to carry out the explosions?

Based on an analysis of jihadist incidents over the past three decades, the conclusion is that the terrorists were inspired to carry out the Red Fort bombings by their radical religious beliefs. Therefore, they acted with the knowledge that they themselves would be killed in the blast or face the death penalty if captured. We must accept the fact that while security forces’ actions may weaken them temporarily, eliminating their deadly religious ideology of Islamizing the world and teaching a lesson to the infidels is no easy task.

In Faridabad, a man rented a house and kept bringing in large quantities of explosives, but the landlord or anyone else made no attempt to stop him or inform the police. It’s possible these terrorists received support from local residents. It cannot be ignored that local residents have been involved in most terrorist incidents in India and the world. When Pakistan’s Jihadi General Asim Munir says that Muslims cannot live with Hindus, that Pakistan is the second state to be created after Medina based on the Kalma, and that Kashmir is our jugular vein, it should be understood how difficult the fight against terrorism is.

The support Pakistan receives from countries like the United States and Turkey has proven to be an encouragement and support for terrorists. Every person involved in the security system, along with all citizens of India, needs to remain vigilant and active at all times. We never know who around us, armed with a jihadist mindset, may be plotting horrific violence. As a nation, India’s resolve is to eradicate terrorism completely. This resolve will be strengthened when every citizen demonstrates vigilance in the fight against terror.