In video found on dumped phone, suspect defends suicide bombing

Investigators probing the Red Fort car explosion have recovered a video of Umar un-Nabi, who was behind the wheel of the white Hyundai i20, defending the concept of suicide attacks in what security experts say could signal attempts to radicalise others.

- Prawesh Lama, Mir Ehsan and Jignasa Sinha

The one-minute, 20-second video, believed to have been recorded in April, shows Nabi alone in a room speaking in English about suicide bombing — likening the terrorist act to “martyrdom”. The video was retrieved from a mobile phone recovered from a water body near un-Nabi's house in Koil, Pulwama, according toa Delhi Police officer aware of the matter. Nabi had last visited his family there in September-Oc-tober, during which he gave the mobile phone to his brother, Zahoor Ilahi, with instructions to dispose of it if he “ever heard news” about him.

Zahoor, after being detained, told investigators about the phone, a second official said, adding that forensic experts were able to retrieve the video and other data from the damaged device. No government agency confirmed retrieving the video or shared details of its source. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.