A deadly car explosion in New Delhi is being investigated under an anti-terrorism law

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police were investigating a deadly car explosion in New Delhi under an anti-terrorism law, officials said Tuesday, as forensic experts worked to determine the cause of the blast.

The explosion occurred near the historic Red Fort late Monday, killing at least eight people and injuring several others.

Senior police officials told The Associated Press that a case was registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, India’s main anti-terrorism law, which allows broader powers to investigating agencies to detain suspects. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a scheduled visit to Bhutan on Tuesday, said investigators would “get to the bottom of this conspiracy.

“The conspirators won’t be spared and all those responsible will be brought to justice,” Modi said.

Police said the explosion was believed to have originated from a Hyundai i20 car that had stopped at a traffic signal. Nearby vehicles were badly damaged, and photos showed shattered windows, twisted metal and flames engulfing several cars.

Police were attempting to trace the car’s owner. There was no immediate information about the occupants, who were believed to have been killed.

No arrests had been made Tuesday but investigators were “probing all possible angles, including a terror attack, an accidental blast or any kind of failure in car," Delhi police spokesman Sanjay Tyagi told the AP.

“Teams are working on leads available so far. Final shape of the investigation will be decided after the forensic team gives a final report on use of any explosives," he said.

Senior police officials said they also were probing possible links to the recovery of arms and material used to make explosives in a separate incident in neighboring Haryana state on Monday.

Police recovered 360 kilograms (793 pounds) of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used to make explosives, and an assault rifle and a pistol in Faridabad city, which borders the Indian capital. The recovery was made before the car explosion.

Home Minister Amit Shah said Monday that “all angles” were being investigated and that security agencies would reach a conclusion soon. He said footage from cameras in the area would play a key role in the investigation.

Major train stations, including in Mumbai and in Uttar Pradesh state, which borders New Delhi, were put on security alert. The security force responsible for guarding key installations in the capital, including New Delhi’s international airport, metro system and major government buildings, said its personnel had also been placed on security alert.

A former imperial palace, the Red Fort is a sprawling Mughal-era complex and a major tourist attraction in the Old Delhi section of the city. Located about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from Parliament, the 17th-century monument is a symbolic location where Indian prime ministers deliver Independence Day speeches on Aug. 15 each year.

The area around Red Fort is typically crowded, serving as a main route to the bustling bazaars of the old city.

Security personnel along with a sniffer dog check the luggage of passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, India, as part of enhanced security following Monday's deadly car blast in the Indian capital, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Security personnel along with a sniffer dog check the luggage of passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, India, as part of enhanced security following Monday's deadly car blast in the Indian capital, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Family members of a victim of Monday's car explosion near the historic Red Fort break down at a hospital in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Dinesh Joshi)

Investigators examine the site of Monday's car explosion near the historic Red Fort, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo)

Investigators examine the site of Monday's car explosion near the historic Red Fort, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alabama on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year's elections, despite a lower court's ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.

The state's Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal with the justices a day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts.

The judges instead required Alabama to continue using a court-ordered map that was put in place for the 2024 elections that includes two districts where Black residents comprise a majority or close to it.

Attorney General Steve Marshall told the court that the state did not intentionally discriminate against Black residents and should be allowed to hold elections this year under a map chosen by lawmakers, not judges.

The appeal is the latest development in the fallout from last month's Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections.

The Alabama cases stretches back several years. The three-judge panel in 2023 ruled that a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens. The court said the state, which is about 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it. The court-selected map was used in 2024.

After the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Louisiana case, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority agreed to lift the injunction that had blocked the map’s use and sent the case back to the three-judge panel for reconsideration in light of the Louisiana ruling.

In the meantime, voters cast ballots in Alabama’s May 19 primaries, and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey set new special primaries for Aug. 11 in four congressional districts affected by the map switch.

Upon further review, the judicial panel said it was standing behind its initial finding that there was “undisputed evidence” of intentional racial discrimination, a holding that was independent of and unaffected by the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act.

It said the special congressional primaries should instead proceed under the previous court-approved districts.

The use of the court-ordered map led to the 2024 election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. State Republicans are seeking to use a map that would give the GOP an opportunity to reclaim the south Alabama seat.

This story has been corrected to show the Alabama primaries were May 19, not May 11.

Associated Press writer Kim Chandler contributed to this report from Montgomery, Ala.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

FILE - Shomari Figures, who is running for Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, speaks during the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

A statue titled the "Authority of Law" sits in front of the Supreme Court on Friday, May 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)