The terrorists responsible for a blast near the Red Fort in New Delhi in November last year had allegedly misused an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for "terror engineering", the National Investigation Agency (NIA) found out in its investigation.
In its 7,500-page chargesheet which was assessed by news agency PTI, the NIA said the accused had prepared a rocket improvised explosive device (IED), which they had tested in the Qazigund forest of Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district. They had adopted an "almost laboratory-grade" approach is using the IEDs.
One of the accused, identified as Jasir Bilal Wani, had stayed at the Al Falah University campus in Haryana's Faridabad for two to three times between 2024 and 2025 to provide "technical support" for the conspiracy, the NIA said. He was introduced to another accused, Dr Umer un Nabi, by Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather.
As per the NIA, Adeel played a critical role in supplying IED ingredients, including powdered sugar and potassium nitrate in the form of NPK fertiliser, to Jasir, who later used YouTube and ChatGPT to search "how to make a rocket and in what proportion should the mixture be".
Jasir had prepared the IED and tested it in the Qazigund forest, the chargesheet, which was submitted in an NIA court in Delhi, said. He was also provided a couple of drones by Dr Umer to improve their flying range and payload capacity. The NIA said Umer wanted to weaponize these drones to carry out attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
Purchase using Flipkart
The NIA probe also found out that Jasir used Flipkart between December 2023 and January 2024 to buy components used in trigger mechanisms, including a sensor-inductive proximity switch, a heat gun, a piezo plate, a remote control relay-switch RF (radio frequency) transmitter and receiver kit, a flameless rechargeable pocket lighter, a soldering kit, and an LED electronic kit.
These were all funded by Umer and the components were later assembled and handed over by Jasir to him.
The NIA found that the accused had also fabricated and tested various types of IEDs. The explosive used in the blast was Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), which was clandestinely manufactured after procuring constituent ingredients and conducting experiments to perfect the explosive mixture.
Earlier, the Srinagar police had busted the blast-linked "doctor" or "white-collar" module involving medical professionals.
A wider "jihadi conspiracy" was later exposed through a detailed scientific and forensic investigation as the accused, some of whom were radicalised medical professionals, were found to be inspired by AQIS/AGuH ideology to carry out the deadly attack, the NIA chargesheet said.
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