The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has formally attributed the November 2025 Red Fort blast in Delhi, which killed 11 people, to Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
The finding was included in the 38th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, published on Monday. The report said AQIS had evolved from a fragmented organisation into a regional terrorist entity, building logistical and financial networks while operating through small, decentralised and scattered cells.
“The attack in November 2025 on the Red Fort in Delhi was officially attributed to AQIS.”
The report also warned that the group was seeking to exploit Bangladesh to establish cells there, highlighting wider concerns over the expansion and capabilities of Al-Qaida-linked networks in the region.
Earlier assessment had linked attack to Jaish-e-Mohammed
The latest UN assessment is notable because an earlier report had pointed towards Jaish-e-Mohammed (JiM) in connection with the blast.
The UNSC Monitoring Team’s 37th report had said a UN member state reported that JiM had claimed responsibility for a series of attacks and had also been linked to the November 2025 Red Fort attack, which killed 11 people.
The latest report, however, specifically identifies AQIS as the organisation to which the Red Fort attack was officially attributed.
Blast near Red Fort killed 11
The explosion took place at around 7pm in November 2025, when a blast ripped through a moving Hyundai i20 near Delhi’s iconic Red Fort.
The vehicle was allegedly being driven by Umar Un Nabi, who was suspected of carrying out the attack as a suicide bomber and was killed in the explosion.
The blast left 11 people dead and more than two dozen injured, triggering a major investigation into the network behind the attack.
UN raises wider concerns over Al-Qaida and ISIL
Beyond the Red Fort attack, the UNSC report highlighted broader concerns about the activities of Al-Qaida and Islamic State (ISIL/Da’esh) affiliates.
It said both groups had maintained an interest for years in developing chemical and biological weapons, although they had so far been unable to overcome the technical challenges involved.
The report added that material related to the development of such weapons had circulated widely in online extremist communities.
It cited material allegedly published by ISIL’s English-language Invade magazine in February and said it included instructions relating to dangerous chemical and biological agents.
The Monitoring Team also said ISIL-K had shown particular interest in ricin and had circulated material concerning the toxin during the previous 12 months.
NIA chargesheet runs to 7,500 pages
Meanwhile, the legal proceedings in India are moving forward.
The Rouse Avenue Court has scheduled August 27 to consider taking cognisance of the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) chargesheet in the November 2025 Red Fort car blast case.
The NIA has filed a 7,500-page chargesheet against 11 accused persons suspected of involvement in the attack. The prosecution’s complaint runs into thousands of pages and cites more than 580 witnesses, underscoring the scale of the investigation into the blast and the alleged network behind it.
