Delhi LG V K Saxena has directed police to maintain a digital record of entities purchasing and selling ammonium nitrate and to undertake rigorous security audits of busy markets and ISBTs, days after a blast near the Red Fort.
According to sources, a man named Tariq from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, who has been arrested, is said to have given the Hyundai i20 car to Umar Mohammad.
Every time blasts hit an unsuspecting city, there is an outcry about the need to ban ammonium nitrate -- the main constituent used while assembling a bomb. On July 13, serial blasts ripped through three sites in Mumbai and to no one's surprise, ammonium nitrate was found in the explosives. Though the government has stated its intention of banning ammonium nitrate, it is difficult even to regulate the sale of the product.Terrorists continue to use ammonium nitrate.
From the hands of the farmer as a common fertiliser, in the hands of a terrorist as a deadly explosive: This is what ammonium nitrate has become. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
To check rampant use of ammonium nitrate by terror groups, the Union home ministry on Tuesday discussed in detail certain amendments in the Explosives Substances Act. The objective behind carrying out changes in the Act is to regulate use of the material often used in bombs by bringing ammonium nitrate under the purview of the existing law, a senior official said.
The presence of ammonium nitrate in the Hyderabad bomb is bound to raise a debate on the availability of the substance, primarily used to make fertiliser and explosives.
Finding the source from where the ammonium nitrate is procured is crucial and therefore records need to be maintained right from the first step of procurement
Authorities have seized 500 kg ammonium nitrate, used recently to carry out blasts in the Karnataka capital, from Kolar district of the state, officials said.
Officials lament the lack of proper legislation in the country vis-a-vis such chemicals.
The Forensic Sciences Laboratories preliminary report on the Hyderabad bomb composition states that each bomb had 900 grams of ammonium nitrate in it which was procured locally.
A forensics team from Hyderabad and New Delhi and the National Investigating Agency are working in tandem to gather more evidence regarding the explosives. Apart from this they are also looking into CCTV footage to find more clues regarding the terror attack
Ammonium nitrate was used to make the bombs used in the Lucknow and Faizabad blasts, said Home Ministry sources.
Maoists on Wednesday looted ammonium nitrate from a truck in a jungle near Dhamteri district of Chhattisgarh, the state's top police official said.
An official from the NIA who visited the site of the twin blasts in Hyderabad -- that killed at least 15 and injured 78 others on Thursday evening -- said that there were traces of ammonium nitrate at the spot.
Besides ammonium nitrate, police also seized a large quantity of explosive accessories, including nine cartons of detonators, 12 cartons and 15 bundles of blue fuse wire, and 12 cartons and five bundles of red fuse wire, officials said.
The forensic sciences team from Hyderabad, which is examining the material used in the twin blast, said that ammonium nitrate and improvised explosive devices were used to cause maximum damage along with fuel, urea, ball bearings, sharpnels and a timer.
District Collector Ashish Vachhani, who led the operation, said that based on a tip-off, a special police party conducted surprise raids and seized 18 bags of explosive materials.
Ammonium nitrate was used to trigger the car explosion near Jama Masjid which took place just hours after an attack there on a vehicle carrying foreign tourists, the police said on Monday. They said no RDX or detonator was used to carry out the explosion
"We have the CCTV footages. We have got some vital information from it," Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh told reporters in Pune. "We received the forensic report last night. It has been established that the presence of RDX, ammonium nitrate and petroleum hydrocarbon oil in it," the Commissioner said. The use of RDX and that too in such a large quantity is an indication that there has been a lot of planning involved in this attack.
Meanwhile, Inspector General (Law and Order) Rashmi Shukla informed media persons that it was very premature to say who was behind the terror attack.
It is used in fertilisers and insecticides. Construction companies cannot do without it. But that's not what's made ammonium nitrate a household name. Rrishi Raote and Aabhas Sharma look at the chemical that has become the favourite terror tool of extremists and Naxalite
Police sources have told rediff.com that ammonium nitrate, shrapnel, a digital clock and and improvised explosive device formed Wednesday's Bangalore bomb composition, which injured 16 people. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Security agencies are investigating how a terror module acquired and stored a large quantity of Ammonium Nitrate, suspected to be used in a recent deadly blast. The investigation focuses on the logistics and procurement network of the busted inter-state terror cell and highlights the ease with which restricted chemicals can be weaponized.
Security forces on Thursday seized a whopping 4,600 kgs of Ammonium Nitrate, used for making improvised explosive devices and bombs, from Bihar's Rohtas district.
Police in Tonk, Rajasthan, seized 150 kg of explosives, 200 cartridges, and fuse wire from a car, arresting two individuals. The explosives were concealed in sacks of urea fertilizer and were allegedly being transported for supply.
Ten days after the devastating car explosion near the Red Fort, in which 13 people lost their lives and several others were injured, investigators say the incident is part of a broader terror conspiracy involving a professional network of radicalised individuals based in Faridabad, Saharanpur and Kashmir.
A bag containing an improvised explosive device (IED) was found by the police in a house in the Old Seemapuri area in the northeastern part of Delhi on Thursday, a senior police officer said.
More than 40 samples have been collected till now.
The police suspect the recces were part of a larger conspiracy to target the historic monument on January 26, which might have failed due to intense patrolling in the area at the time.
Hours before the blast in Delhi, eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives were seized with the uncovering of a "white collar" terror module on Monday.
Maulvi Ishtiyaq, who has been brought to Srinagar, was staying in a rented house within the Al Falah university complex in Faridabad. It was from his home that police had recovered more than 2,500 kg of ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate and sulphur, the officials said.
DNA testing confirms that Dr. Umar Nabi was driving the car that exploded near the Red Fort in Delhi. He was a member of a terror module with links to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
Authorities in Kashmir have initiated a profiling process of mosques, madrassas, and individuals associated with their management following the exposure of a 'white collar' terror module. The enumeration drive focuses on the finances of these institutions and the backgrounds of their personnel.
Dr Umar Nabi was allegedly driving the Hyundai i20 car that was used in the blast near the parking area of the Red Fort Metro Station on Monday, killing at least 12 people. He hails from Koil village in Pulwama, they said.
Police in Faridabad continue their investigation into a suspected terror module after a large quantity of explosives was found in rented rooms. The probe is also examining potential links to a recent blast near Delhi's Red Fort.
"Investigators are now tracing the route towards Daryaganj, while more than 100 CCTV clips, including footage from nearby toll plazas, are being examined to establish the complete movement of the vehicle," the sources added.
Officials reveal details of a foiled Jaish-e-Mohammed terror plot involving a doctor who planned a bomb blast near the Red Fort, timed around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary. Arrests and investigations uncovered the interstate network.
Delhi Police have increased security measures across the city following the recovery of suspected ammonium nitrate and arms in Faridabad, Haryana. The heightened security includes increased surveillance at border points and sensitive zones.
The family of a man suspected of involvement in the Delhi blast near Red Fort metro station has expressed disbelief, stating that he was an introvert focused on his studies and work.
'India has experienced any number of doctors, engineers, and individuals from professional backgrounds being implicated in terrorism. This is not a novel development.' 'These are mobilisations of opportunity. One does not exclusively associate with one's own kind. A comprehensive conspiracy requires diverse skill sets.' 'One needs individuals with local community contacts, those possessing physical capabilities, technical expertise -- an entire spectrum of capacities.'
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