UN Report Attributes November 2025 Red Fort Terror Attack to AQIS
The deadly terror attack near the Red Fort in New Delhi in November 2025 has been officially attributed to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), according to a report by a United Nations Security Council monitoring body.
The high-intensity blast ripped through a slow-moving car stopped at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station, killing approximately 15 people and leaving many others injured.
The findings were detailed in the 38th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted to the Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee concerning ISIL and Al-Qaeda. The document noted that AQIS has continued to evolve from a fragmented outfit into a regional terrorist entity.
According to the report, the militant group has built logistics and financial networks while shifting operational methods to work in decentralised, small, scattered cells rather than large units. The assessment formally confirmed that the November 2025 strike in Delhi was carried out by the group.
The UN monitoring team also highlighted growing concerns regarding AQIS attempting to exploit Bangladesh to establish operational cells in the region.
In addition, the report observed that terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda and ISIL (Da'esh) have maintained a sustained interest in developing chemical and biological weapons over several years, though they have so far failed to overcome technical hurdles. Instructions on producing toxic substances have continued to circulate across online extremist networks.
The monitoring report noted that regional offshoot ISIL-K had circulated instructions on producing the biological toxin ricin over the past year. In late 2025, Indian authorities arrested three individuals, including a medical doctor, who had been tasked by an overseas ISIL cell to develop the lethal substance.
The report added that regional tensions across South Asia remain elevated, with ongoing cross-border security challenges and militant activity continuing to pose enduring threats across neighbouring territories.
