![](https://static.toiimg.com/thumb/msid-106868136,width-1070,height-580,imgsize-2775506,resizemode-75,overlay-toi_sw,pt-32,y_pad-40/photo.jpg)
Mohammad Shahnawaz, an engineer arrested in Delhi, aspired to be a bomb-maker for the Islamic State. He meticulously followed online instructions and sourced ingredients from local markets, even adding black pepper as a “special ingredient” to his explosive mix. His goal: to create deadly, L-shaped “elbow IEDs” capable of causing maximum damage.
But Shahnawaz faced a critical hurdle – achieving the desired blue color in the explosive crystals, a key step for potency.Despite repeated attempts and adjustments to temperature and concentration, the “golden water” as he called it, remained elusive. It wasn’t until tinkering with a copper wire that he finally cracked the code.
Emboldened by his success, Shahnawaz tested his creations in remote locations. First, near the Yamuna River, where the bomb fizzled out. Undeterred, he refined his design and conducted two successful explosions in Haldwani and Nuh, one even detonated remotely with a timer.
Shahnawaz’s arrest, along with two of his engineer accomplices, came just in time. The Delhi Police special cell thwarted their plans to unleash a wave of terror across India. During interrogation, Shahnawaz revealed a network of online communication and his connections with a female handler in Maldives and camp in Syria.
What is IED
IED stands for improvised explosive device (IED). The term IED came into common usage during the Iraq War that began in 2003. An IED attack is the use of a “homemade” bomb and/or destructive device to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract. IEDs are used by criminals, terrorists, suicide bombers, and insurgents. As IEDs are improvised devices, they can come in many forms, ranging from a small pipe bomb to a sophisticated device capable of causing massive damage and loss of life. IEDs can be carried or delivered in a vehicle; carried, placed, or thrown by a person; delivered in a package; or concealed on the roadside.
But Shahnawaz faced a critical hurdle – achieving the desired blue color in the explosive crystals, a key step for potency.Despite repeated attempts and adjustments to temperature and concentration, the “golden water” as he called it, remained elusive. It wasn’t until tinkering with a copper wire that he finally cracked the code.
Emboldened by his success, Shahnawaz tested his creations in remote locations. First, near the Yamuna River, where the bomb fizzled out. Undeterred, he refined his design and conducted two successful explosions in Haldwani and Nuh, one even detonated remotely with a timer.
Shahnawaz’s arrest, along with two of his engineer accomplices, came just in time. The Delhi Police special cell thwarted their plans to unleash a wave of terror across India. During interrogation, Shahnawaz revealed a network of online communication and his connections with a female handler in Maldives and camp in Syria.
What is IED
IED stands for improvised explosive device (IED). The term IED came into common usage during the Iraq War that began in 2003. An IED attack is the use of a “homemade” bomb and/or destructive device to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract. IEDs are used by criminals, terrorists, suicide bombers, and insurgents. As IEDs are improvised devices, they can come in many forms, ranging from a small pipe bomb to a sophisticated device capable of causing massive damage and loss of life. IEDs can be carried or delivered in a vehicle; carried, placed, or thrown by a person; delivered in a package; or concealed on the roadside.