The Jammu & Kashmir Police on Sunday said three persons, who acted as co-conspirators in the July 10 attack on Amarnath pilgrims in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, have been arrested by its Special Investigation Team (SIT). Police identified Pakistani terrorist Abu Ismail of banned lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) as the mastermind of the attack. Police have described the arrests as a huge achievement in the case.
Addressing mediapersons in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) Munir Ahmad Khan said that leT cadre were involved in the attack and the arrested persons provided logistic support, including vehicles and shelter to four terrorists, including one local recruit, who executed the attack. After the killing of leT leader Abu Dujana, Pakistani terrorist Abu Ismail has been appointed leT’s divisional commander in South Kashmir.
Another terrorist in the group of four has been identified as Yawar Bashir who is said to be a local recruiter for the leT. Police said efforts were on to identify the other two, believed to be Pakistanis.
The four terrorists carried out the attack that left eight pilgrims dead and nearly 18 pilgrims injured. The bus full of yatris was returning from Baltal Base camp after performing yatra.
Khan said the attack was to be carried out on July 9, but on that day no yatri or CRPF vehicle was moving in isolation. “So they carried out the attack on July 10, hitting the fateful bus moving in isolation,” he said. Police have already said that the yatri bus was not registered and violated the procedure set for the movement of Amarnath pilgrims.
The investigations also revealed that the attack on the yatris was carried out to avenge the killing of local leT commander Bashir lashkari who was killed along with his aide on July 1 in an encounter in Brenthi area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. lashkari was involved in ambushing a police party in June at Acchabal in south Kashmir that resulted in the killing of six policemen, including the Station House Officer of local police station.
The three co-conspirators in the Amarnath pilgrim attack were identified as Bilal Reshi, Aijaz Wagey and Zahoor Ahmed Sheikh who had carried out reconnaissance exercises and chosen Botengoo near Khanabal in Anantnag as the spot where the attack could be carried out. Bilal’s elder brother Adil, a lashker-e-Tayyeba terrorist, was killed by security forces earlier this year. All the accused have been produced before the court and sent to police remand. The police also released pictures of Abu Ismail and Yawar.
The J&K Police had constituted a SIT led by Deputy Inspector General (South Kashmir) to probe the attack on yatris. The attack evoked widespread condemnation across the Valley and outside.