A man has been arrested in connection with a deadly car bomb attack that killed eight people and injured 20 others in Delhi last week, authorities said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the car used in the attack, which the government called a “terrorist incident”, was registered in the name of the arrested suspect.
He has been accused of conspiring with the alleged suicide bomber. The suspect was a resident of Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities say.
The explosion occurred near a metro station near the Red Fort, one of Delhi’s most prominent monuments.
The agency said it had seized another vehicle allegedly belonging to the suicide bomber for examination. So far it has questioned 73 witnesses, including people injured in the explosion.
The explosion outside the historic fort was the first such explosion in the heavily guarded city since 2011.
The attack on Monday night took place at 6:52 p.m. local time (1:22 p.m. GMT), when a slow-moving vehicle stopped at a busy traffic light and then exploded.
A few hours after the incident, Home Minister Shah confirmed that the explosion had occurred in a white Hyundai i20.
Footage from the scene showed remains of a charred white car and several other vandalized vehicles, including an autorickshaw and cycle rickshaws.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the attack a “conspiracy” and his government vowed to bring the “perpetrators, their collaborators and their sponsors” to justice.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said the news was “extremely heartbreaking”.
Police said Thursday they were investigating any links to the recent arrests of seven men by police in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Possible connections to the recent seizure of 2,900 kilograms of explosives in a Delhi suburb are also being investigated, police said.
The Red Fort is visited by thousands of tourists every day and was built in the 17th century. Indian prime ministers use the Mughal fort as a backdrop for their annual Independence Day speeches.
