Hashim Musa, one of the Pakistani attackers in Pahalgam, was also part of at least two other strikes in October 2024 targeting non-locals in J&K, investigators have found. A reward of Rs 20 lakh each has been announced on the three Lashkar terrorists behind the Pahalgam massacre.
While two of Musa's aides in October 2024 strikes were killed in encounters, he escaped. A mobile found on one of the aides showed they were guided by Pakistani masterminds, security sources said.
On a day when J&K Police announced rewards of Rs 20 lakh each for the three Lashkar terrorists suspected to be behind the Pahalgam attack , investigators were looking into possible links between the massacre of tourists on Tuesday and at least two more strikes.
The three terrorists for whom rewards have been announced are Adil Hussain Thokar, a local Kashmiri, and Pakistani nationals Hasim Musa aka Suleiman and Ali Bhai aka Talha. Investigators were looking into strong suspicion about the Pahalgam massacre being linked to least two other terror strikes in Oct 2024 - one at Gagangir (Ganderbal), which killed six non-local labourers and a local doctor, and another at Buta Pathri (Baramulla) in which two Army personnel and as many Army porters lost their lives - amid strong suspicion that the three attacks were part of a pattern of targeted killings of non-locals in Kashmir by a same set Pakistani terrorists, guided and facilitated by local aides trained in Pakistan.
Musa has emerged as a common perpetrator in the three attacks. Arbaaz Mir and Junaid Bhat, both from Kulgam and terror-trained in Pakistan, were involved in the twin terror strikes of Oct 2024, before being killed in separate encounters in Oct and Nov 2024, respectively.
Musa, too, was once cornered in an encounter in Sopore but had managed to escape.
Sources in the central security establishment said when Arbaaz - who left for Pakistan in 2018 and returned to Kashmir in 2022-23 after receiving terror-training - was neutralised in Anantnag along with fellow local terrorist Zahid Rashid from Bijbehara, the forces had recovered a mobile device, apart from weapons like M4 and AK-47 rifles, grenades and IEDs.
"Data recovered from mobile device, including chats, established that Pakistani masterminds had guided the terrorists during the Gagangir and Buta Pathri attacks. With the same assailants and motive seen in the Pahalgam strike, things point to a common set of conspirators based in Pakistan," a source said.
It was a photo of four terrorists retrieved from Arbaaz's phone, which when shown to the Pahalgam attack eyewitnesses, helped them identify Musa, a second Pakistani terrorist Ali Talha and local terrorist Adil Thokar from Anantnag, as the assailants.
Asif Shaikh, another important local terrorist from Awantipora who is active in the area around Baisaran comprising Tral, Kulgam and Pulwama, is certain to have facilitated the Pahalgam attack team, said a source.
On a day when LG Manoj Sinha instructed security forces to avenge the killing of tourists at Pahalgam, security agencies in J&K were said scanning a dump of nearly two lakh calls made or received at the attack site on April 22. "We are trying to find any conversations among the overground workers and other facilitators regarding the Pahalgam attack plan or the shelter/logistics arranged by local terror guides. One careless call, even though terrorists now rely on secure apps like Ultra to communicate, could unravel the conspiracy and the key players," an officer said.
A J&K functionary told TOI that the kin of Anantnag resident Adil Thokar, alias Adil Guree, as well as overground workers were being questioned to trace his recent activities and hideouts.
Meanwhile, J&K cops, following directions of LG Sinha, has done fresh vulnerability mapping of areas, including tourist spots & settlements of non-local labourers in J&K.
While two of Musa's aides in October 2024 strikes were killed in encounters, he escaped. A mobile found on one of the aides showed they were guided by Pakistani masterminds, security sources said.
On a day when J&K Police announced rewards of Rs 20 lakh each for the three Lashkar terrorists suspected to be behind the Pahalgam attack , investigators were looking into possible links between the massacre of tourists on Tuesday and at least two more strikes.
The three terrorists for whom rewards have been announced are Adil Hussain Thokar, a local Kashmiri, and Pakistani nationals Hasim Musa aka Suleiman and Ali Bhai aka Talha. Investigators were looking into strong suspicion about the Pahalgam massacre being linked to least two other terror strikes in Oct 2024 - one at Gagangir (Ganderbal), which killed six non-local labourers and a local doctor, and another at Buta Pathri (Baramulla) in which two Army personnel and as many Army porters lost their lives - amid strong suspicion that the three attacks were part of a pattern of targeted killings of non-locals in Kashmir by a same set Pakistani terrorists, guided and facilitated by local aides trained in Pakistan.
Musa has emerged as a common perpetrator in the three attacks. Arbaaz Mir and Junaid Bhat, both from Kulgam and terror-trained in Pakistan, were involved in the twin terror strikes of Oct 2024, before being killed in separate encounters in Oct and Nov 2024, respectively.
Musa, too, was once cornered in an encounter in Sopore but had managed to escape.
Sources in the central security establishment said when Arbaaz - who left for Pakistan in 2018 and returned to Kashmir in 2022-23 after receiving terror-training - was neutralised in Anantnag along with fellow local terrorist Zahid Rashid from Bijbehara, the forces had recovered a mobile device, apart from weapons like M4 and AK-47 rifles, grenades and IEDs.
"Data recovered from mobile device, including chats, established that Pakistani masterminds had guided the terrorists during the Gagangir and Buta Pathri attacks. With the same assailants and motive seen in the Pahalgam strike, things point to a common set of conspirators based in Pakistan," a source said.
It was a photo of four terrorists retrieved from Arbaaz's phone, which when shown to the Pahalgam attack eyewitnesses, helped them identify Musa, a second Pakistani terrorist Ali Talha and local terrorist Adil Thokar from Anantnag, as the assailants.
Asif Shaikh, another important local terrorist from Awantipora who is active in the area around Baisaran comprising Tral, Kulgam and Pulwama, is certain to have facilitated the Pahalgam attack team, said a source.
On a day when LG Manoj Sinha instructed security forces to avenge the killing of tourists at Pahalgam, security agencies in J&K were said scanning a dump of nearly two lakh calls made or received at the attack site on April 22. "We are trying to find any conversations among the overground workers and other facilitators regarding the Pahalgam attack plan or the shelter/logistics arranged by local terror guides. One careless call, even though terrorists now rely on secure apps like Ultra to communicate, could unravel the conspiracy and the key players," an officer said.
A J&K functionary told TOI that the kin of Anantnag resident Adil Thokar, alias Adil Guree, as well as overground workers were being questioned to trace his recent activities and hideouts.
Meanwhile, J&K cops, following directions of LG Sinha, has done fresh vulnerability mapping of areas, including tourist spots & settlements of non-local labourers in J&K.
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