UNSC Report Attributes November 2025 Red Fort Car Bombing in Delhi to AQIS
A United Nations Security Council monitoring team report has officially attributed the November 10, 2025 car bomb explosion near the Red Fort in Delhi to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The attack, which involved a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, resulted in 11 fatalities, numerous injuries, and significant property damage in the Capital.
In May, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against 10 individuals in connection with the Red Fort explosion. The chargesheet named 10 accused linked to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an affiliate of AQIS. NIA investigations identified Umar un-Nabi, a former assistant professor of medicine at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, as the primary perpetrator of the attack. Un-Nabi died during the blast.
The biannual report from the Security Council’s monitoring team for sanctions on al-Qaeda and Islamic State noted that AQIS has continued to evolve from a fragmented group into a regional terrorist entity. Rather than operating in large units, the group has established logistics and financial networks while operating in decentralized, small, scattered cells. The UN report further stated that AQIS leadership reportedly remains in Kabul, having been issued national IDs, which suggests close cooperation between the Taliban and AQIS.
The report also raised concerns about AQIS attempting to exploit Bangladesh to establish operational cells there. Additionally, it noted that AQIS formed the backbone of Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, a group responsible for multiple attacks, including a May 9 suicide bombing and vehicle-borne explosive detonation near a security post in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province that resulted in 21 deaths.
The UN report highlighted sustained efforts by terror groups to develop chemical and biological weapons. At the end of 2025, Indian authorities arrested three individuals, including a doctor, who had been tasked by an Islamic State cell abroad to develop ricin poison.
