'Suicide bombing misunderstood concept': Red Fort blast bomber's chilling radicalisation video emerges, he calls it 'martyrdom operation'

Dr Umar Nabi, the man behind the deadly Red Fort blast on November that killed 13, had recorded a video that shows him talking about suicide bombing and "martyrdom". The undated and self-recorded video comes a week after the explosion at the Red Fort and is arguably the first peek into the thought process of Delhi bomber Dr Umar Mohammad alias Umar-un-Nabi. The footage offers a glimpse into his mindset, capturing him discussing suicide attacks and what he calls “martyrdom." In the video, Umar speaks English with an accent and is quite articulate.

In the video, Umar Nabi can be seen sitting alone in a room and speaking with disturbing ease about suicide attacks which he attempts to justify his malicious plan, and refers to it as "martyrdom operation". Dr Umar says that what is commonly referred to as a 'suicide bombing' should instead be understood as a “martyrdom operation" in Islam.

Dr Umar's video of suicide bombing

In the video, Dr Umar Mohammad claims that what is commonly referred to as a suicide bombing is “not understood correctly.” "One of the very misunderstood concepts is the concept of suicide bombing; it is a martyrdom operation; as it has been known in Islam... There are multiple contradictions and arguments that have been brought against it -- martyrdom operation," he can be heard saying in the video.


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He further went on to explain that "martyrdom operation" is "when a person presumes that he is going, for sure, to die at a particular place and time. The video was recovered by the officials during the investigation into the Delhi blast that stunned the nation.

“When a person believes he is definitely going to die at a particular time or a particular place, he goes against the presumption that he is going to die in a particular situation. If not, we don't have a situation."

Dr Umar also says that no one can predict exactly when or where they will die, and that it will happen if it is destined. He adds, "Don't fear death." Suicide is forbidden in Islam, and Umar appears to be justifying suicide bombing as an act of "martyrdom" in the video.

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His video has revealed the suicide-bombing mindset, indicating that he had planned extensively on a large-scale terror operation. The video was meant to brainwash and radicalise others, as Umar was seen as the most ideologically driven member of the so-called “white-collar” Faridabad terror module linked to the attack, as per a TOI report. In the undated footage, Umar explains his version of a “martyrdom operation,” describing it as a scenario where a person accepts they will certainly die. He tries to differentiate this from suicide, even though both result in the same fatal outcome.

Delhi blast case

The high-intensity blast ripped through a bustling street near the Red Fort on November 10, shattering shopfronts and triggering panic across Old Delhi, leaving 15 dead and 28 injured. Investigators quickly zeroed in on Dr Umar-un-Nabi after analysing CCTV footage and forensic evidence recovered from the site.

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Intelligence officials said his movements before and after the explosion matched the route taken by the bomber, and electronic surveillance proved that he was driving the i20 in the vicinity minutes before the blast. The DNA samples of Dr Umar Nabi Bhat, who drove the i20 car involved in the blast near Red Fort, were matched with those of his mother’s to confirm whether he was behind the attack or not.

(With TOI inputs)