New Delhi: Fresh details emerging from the investigations into the Delhi Red Fort blast clearly point towards a major plot that was in the making.
Investigators can now confirm that the Jaish-e-Mohammad’s Faridabad terror module had planned not only to carry out a series of blasts, but also to hold a major recruitment drive.
An official said that the plan was to build one of the biggest terror modules, which would spread across the length and breadth of the country.
In the first phase, the JeM sought to target major cities in North India. Further, they wanted to expand towards Maharashtra, the Northeast and then South India, officials said.
The Telegram chats of the accused showed the outfit’s expansion plans.
The accused discussed carrying out at least six coordinated blasts in many parts of North India. This also included a major blast outside the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The first target was, however, Delhi since the terror group wanted to challenge the security agencies.
By hitting the national capital, the message the JeM wanted to send was that it is capable of carrying out an attack anywhere, and would succeed even if the security was tight.
The terror group sought to convey a message that they are hitting the Ram Mandir to avenge the demolition of the ‘Babri Masjid’.
The Ayodhya issue has been a major tool for several terror groups over the years to recruit youth. This time around, too, the intention was the same.
The remaining four planned blasts were meant to show the outfit’s strength and create panic. Further, the terror group also wanted to avenge the losses it faced during Operation Sindoor. The JeM was one of the worst hit during this operation.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that such attacks were not just meant to send a message in India, so that the youth would be impressed and join the group. This was also meant to send a message in Pakistan, where the JeM is finding it hard to recruit people.
After Operation Sindoor, many have stayed away from the group, making it hard for the JeM to operate.
During the first phase of the campaign, the JeM pieced together a module in Faridabad. Once the manpower was in place, they found places in Nuh, Haryana, to source the ammonium nitrate.
After this was done, the plan was discussed both in person and through Telegram channels.
Once the locations were fixed, the module began preparing the explosives.
In the final phase, the explosives were distributed among the operatives.
During the course of the execution, the dates were changed several times. The initial plan was to execute the attacks August 15. This plan was changed, and then they decided to carry out attacks December 6.
Another chat transcript suggested that if the December 6 date does not go through, then they would carry out the coordinated operations January 26.
However, the busting of the Faridabad module led to panic, and the blast took place prematurely, according to investigators.
Sources said that a similar plan was in place for the rest of the country. They were in the process of creating similar modules and executing blasts in the rest of the country.
The module members were told that they would move towards other parts of the country once the first plan relating to North India was executed.
