Kulgam Man Arrested for Aiding Pahalgam Terror Attack
Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday arrested a 26-year-old resident of southern Kulgam district, for allegedly providing logistical support to terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 25 tourists and a local horse-handler.
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday arrested a 26-year-old resident of southern Kulgam district, for allegedly providing logistical support to terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 25 tourists and a local horse-handler.
The accused has been identified as Muhammad Yousuf Katari and his arrest followed an intelligence lead, with him mentioned as an Over Ground Worker (OGW) from the region, officials said.
On July 29, the Army has announced that the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack, linked to the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and initially claimed by its proxy, The Resistance Front (TRF), were neutralised during “Operation Mahadev” in the Dachigam hills on the peripheries of capital Srinagar.
In this joint operation by the Army’s elite PARA commandos, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and J&K Police in the Lidwas area near Dachigam National Park three terrorists—Sulieman Shah alias Hashim Musa, Jibran, and Hamza Afghani—were killed.
According to the security forces, Sulieman, a former Pakistani Special Service Group para-commando who infiltrated India in 2023, was the alleged mastermind behind the Pahalgam attack and linked to other attacks, including one on October 20, 2024, at Gagangir along the Srinagar-Ladakh highway in the Ganderbal district which killed a doctor and six construction workers.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which took over the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack on April 26, under directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, had confirmed the identities of the slain terrorists.
In June this year, the NIA arrested Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar from Pahalgam for allegedly harbouring the terrorists at a seasonal hut in Hill Park before the April 22 attack. The duo, detained under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), provided food, shelter, and logistical support and confirmed the Pakistani origins of the LeT-affiliated terrorists.
In the July 29 operation, a Huawei satellite phone, monitored since April 22, played a key role in tracking the terrorists, with a call on July 26 triggering the operation. The encounter yielded one M4 carbine rifle, two AK rifles, and other munitions. The NIA had released sketches of the suspects on April 24, offering a ₹20 lakh reward per individual for information leading to their elimination. The agency continues to investigate the broader conspiracy behind the attack, registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Arms Act, and UAPA.
The Pahalgam attack led to international condemnation and escalated tensions, culminating in a four-day India-Pakistan conflict under ‘Operation Sindoor’ launched on May 7.
