UN report officially attributes Red Fort attack to AQIS, flags regional threat

A UN monitoring report has officially attributed the Red Fort attack in Delhi to AQIS. The finding sharpens concerns over expanding terror networks and online weapons dissemination across South Asia.

In Short

• Monitoring team said AQIS now functions through scattered cells and financial networks
• Report warned Bangladesh could be exploited for new cells and support bases
• ISIL propaganda shared toxin-making guides, including cyanide, botulinum and ricin

A UN Security Council monitoring team has said the Red Fort terror attack in New Delhi in November last year was "officially attributed" to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS. The finding is part of a new report that also tracks the activities of Al-Qaeda, ISIL and affiliated groups across South Asia.

The report said AQIS had continued to develop from a fragmented group into a regional terrorist entity, while concerns remained over efforts by terror groups to build support networks, spread operational material online and take advantage of instability in the region. It also flagged continued security concerns linked to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

A deadly and high-intensity explosion had rocked the Red Fort area in New Delhi, killing about 15 people and injuring many more. The blast ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station. The 38th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee concerning ISIL and Al-Qaeda, said: "AQIS continued to evolve from a fragmented group into a regional terrorist entity." It added, "AQIS established logistics and financial networks, working in decentralised small, scattered cells instead of large units. The attack in November 2025 on the Red Fort in Delhi was officially attributed to AQIS."

The report added that there was some concern about "AQIS trying to exploit Bangladesh to establish cells there". It also said Al-Qaeda and ISIL had shown a sustained interest over many years in developing chemical and biological weapons, but had so far failed to overcome the technical challenges involved. The report said instructions on how to develop such weapons had been shared widely within online terrorist communities. "For example, in February, ISIL (Da'esh)'s English-language Invade magazine included instructions on how to develop botulinum toxin and cyanide," it said.

According to the report, ISIL-K had shown a "particular interest" in such capabilities and, over the past 12 months, circulated instructions on developing the toxin ricin. It said that at the end of 2025, Indian authorities arrested three people, including a doctor, who had been tasked by an ISIL cell abroad to develop ricin.

The report further said regional tensions in South Asia remained "high" as cross-border attacks between Pakistan and Afghanistan continued. It said the Taliban continued publicly to deny harbouring any terrorist groups, while member states expressed concern that the conflict could create opportunities for terrorist groups and generate added security challenges for the region. "The terrorist threat emanating from Afghanistan remained largely unchanged. The ability of numerous terrorist groups to operate in Afghanistan constituted an enduring threat to neighbouring countries and the Central Asian region. Despite efforts by the de facto authorities to combat Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan and contain other terrorist groups, the authorities were unable to suppress the terrorist problem," it said.

The report also said that on December 25 last year, after its annual rahbari shura, or leadership council, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan announced a revised structure with two new divisions covering "(a) Balochistan and the central region; and (b) Kashmir and the division of Gilgit". It added that the restructuring included a new division described as the "TTP Air Force". Taken together, the report links the Red Fort attack to AQIS and outlines a broader security picture marked by active terror networks, online dissemination of weapons instructions and continued instability in South Asia.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends