Suicide Bomber Nabi Visited Turkman Gate Mosque Hours Before Delhi Blast

New Delhi: The national capital woke up to news of a demolition drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi around an old mosque near Turkman Gate in Old Delhi. According to reports, the operation drew strong resistance from people who gathered at the site in protest and later resorted to stone-pelting. The situation escalated after multiple police officers sustained injuries during the clashes outside the Faiz-e-Ilahi Mosque.

As the dust settles down over the demolition drive, Republic details out how this ancient mosque is connected to suicide bomber Dr Umar Un Nabi, who was the prime accused in the Delhi Red Fort blast in November 2025.

The centuries-old Faiz-e-Elahi Masjid was one of the locations that Dr Umar Un Nabi had visited on the afternoon of November 10, the day he allegedly carried out the blast which killed 15 people in the Red Fort area. It was just hours after his visit that the Hyundai i20 he was driving exploded near the iconic monument, triggering nation-wide investigation, which brought the attention of investigating agencies to the threat of white-collar terrorism.

Delhi Police Detains Multiple Individuals

The Delhi Police have detained at least eight people in connection with the stone-pelting incident. The police said that around 25-30 people pelted stones at the police and MCD officials when they arrived with bulldozers at the Turkman Gate to demolish illegal encroachment, just hours after the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the MCD, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Ministry of Urban Development’s Land and Development Office, and other relevant authorities, on a petition filed by the managing committee of the mosque. 

The arrested individuals have been identified as Adil Kasif, Mohammed Kaif, Mohammed Arib, Uzaif, Azim, and Irfan, all of whom were accused of throwing stones at police personnel. In addition to them, the police have also taken two individuals, Adnan and Sameer, into custody, who had allegedly circulated videos and audio notes on WhatsApp.

It has also come to light that Mohibullah Nadvi, a Samajwadi Party MP and the Imam of the mosque on Parliament Street, was present at the scene and was reportedly instigating the crowd. Nadvi is expected to be questioned soon, police said.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range), Madhur Verma said that around 100-150 protestors were involved in the incident and are in possession of all their images. “We have identified some of the protestors...10-15 people have also been detained,” he added.

The stone peltors were chased away within two-three minutes, five people have been arrested.

A total of five police personnel suffered minor injuries in the incident. They were treated at the nearby hospital, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Central District, Nidhin Valsan said.

The police said that several coordination meetings were held with members of the Aman Committee and other local stakeholders to maintain peace and prevent any untoward incidents. Central Range Joint Commissioner of Police, Madhur Verma said that all possible preventive and confidence-building measures were undertaken. However, a "few miscreants" attempted to create a disturbance by pelting stones, and the situation was promptly brought under control through “measured and minimal use of force.”

Speaking about the incident, Central Delhi DCP Nidhin Valsan said, "We are investigating based on body-worn camera and CCTV footage. Based on the evidence gathered so far, we have detained five people. We are also examining CCTV camera footage, drone cameras were deployed yesterday, and videos are circulating on social media; we are investigating all of them. Action will be taken against anyone found guilty."

Meanwhile, Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said," MCD followed the court order. There was an illegal occupation on the Ramlila ground where a banquet hall was operating. All illegal structures will be removed. While we talk about public welfare, some religious people try to mislead the public and spread rumours, which lead to such incidents (stone-pelting). Such incidents will not have any effect as we want to have a clean Delhi."

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