Indian investigators have arrested a resident of Indian-administered Kashmir, identifying him as an accomplice of a “suicide bomber” behind a deadly car explosion last week that jolted New Delhi and reverberated through the nation.
The blast, which occurred on Monday near the Red Fort in the capital city, killed 12 people and wounded 32.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), the principal counterterrorism law enforcement agency in India, announced on Sunday that it had arrested Amir Rashid Ali.
It said the car involved in the attack was registered in his name and the man was arrested in Delhi after an extensive search.
The suspect, a resident of Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir, is accused of conspiring with the bomber, who was identified as Umar Un Nabi, to unleash a “terror” attack, Indian authorities said.
The accomplice is believed to have travelled to Delhi to facilitate the purchase of the vehicle that was eventually used to transport explosives for the purpose of an attack.
Another vehicle belonging to Nabi was also reported seized by the authorities and is being examined as part of the case.
Indian investigators said their search for more leads continues, adding that if any other people were involved, they will be identified.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet last week described the explosion as a “heinous terror incident, perpetrated by antinational forces”.
The government had been unusually cautious in casting blame after the attack with archrival Pakistan not mentioned. Modi said in May that any future “terror” attack would be viewed as an “act of war”. That in turn has limited how easily India can blame alleged perpetrators without raising expectations of another conflict with Pakistan.
In the meantime, nine people were killed and nearly 30 were injured late on Friday when a cache of confiscated explosives detonated in a police station in Srinagar, the main city of Indian-administered Kashmir.
Regional police ruled the explosion an accident and said there was no involvement by armed groups in the incident, which killed several police officers and officials.
The Srinagar blast occurred as raids were carried out across multiple northern Indian states. Kashmiri police said they have recovered a “massive cache of arms, ammunition and explosives”, including material to make improvised explosive devices, such as chemicals, electronic circuits and remote controls.
