One more Umar aide held for planning drone attacks

SRINAGAR/CHANDIGARH: The conspirators of the Red Fort blast in Delhi were planning to weaponise drones with explosives and rockets, officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Monday, a day after arresting a key associate of alleged suicide bomber Dr Umar un Nabi. The agency arrested Jasir Bilal Wani, alias Danish, from Srinagar saying that he was an active co-conspirator. The multi-state, multi-agency investigation into the attack continued on Monday, with investigators taking further crucial steps in Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi, among other states. Jasir is a resident of Qazigund in south Kashmirs Kulgam district and had provided technical support for carrying out terror attacks by modifying drones and attempting to make rockets ahead of the deadly car bomb blast near the Red Fort. Jasir and his uncle Nabeel Ahmad were picked up by the Jammu and Kahsmir Police a few days back during the ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, Jasirs father Bilal Ahmad Wani, a dry fruit seller, died of burn injuries in a Srinagar hospital on Monday after he had immolated himself the previous day due to the detention of his brother Ahmad and Jasir in the blast probe case. The Wani family is neighbour to the family of Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather, who is among a dozen doctors arrested by police during investigation into the white-collar terror network. Rather was arrested from Saharanpur and is said to be an associate of Dr Umar Nabi. The police have launched a search for Rathers younger brother Dr Muzaffar Rather, who is said to be hiding in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police zeroed in on the Faridabad university at the centre of investigation. It issued notices to Al Falah University, seeking details about the documents that establish its bona fide about the accreditation status of its institutes and make it eligible for obtaining grants from the University Grants Commission. It asked its founder and chairman Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui to appear before it. Delhi Police calls Al Falah University chairman Police asked the universitys founder and chairman Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui to appear before it. The university is facing probe in two FIRs, registered by the Crime Branch. The cases were filed after the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, in its review of the accreditation status of the university, flagged serious irregularities.