Pahalgam massacre: 3 Pakistani terrorists carried out attack, one was ex-Pak Army commando, NIA sources say

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a major breakthrough has arrested two men for harbouring the terrorists who had carried out the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 tourists and grievously injured 16 others.
The NIA has apprehended two Pahalgam residents for allegedly harboring three LeT terrorists involved in the April 22 attack that killed 26 civilians. Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar are accused of providing crucial support to the Pakistani attackers, including a former SSG commando, before the massacre.
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One of the attackers was an ex-SSG commando: Report
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NIA probes Pakistan links, arrests locals under UAPA
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two residents of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir , for sheltering three Pakistani terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) who carried out the brutal attack in Pahalgam on April 22, killing 26 civilians, including 25 tourists.According to a report by ToI, the arrests mark a significant breakthrough in the probe into one of the deadliest civilian-targeted terror attacks in Kashmir in recent years.The arrested individuals — Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar of Batkote and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park, Pahalgam — allegedly provided food, shelter, and logistical support to the attackers at a temporary hutment, or dhok, in the Hill Park area before the massacre.The disclosures made during their initial questioning have confirmed that the attackers were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.One of the three attackers has been identified as Hashim Musa alias Sulaiman, reportedly a former para commando from Pakistan Army's elite Special Services Group (SSG).Musa had been operating in Kashmir for a few months before the Pahalgam massacre , and had also participated in two coordinated attacks in October 2024 — one in Gagangir, Ganderbal, where six non-locals and a local doctor were killed, and another in Buta Pathri, which resulted in the deaths of two Indian Army personnel and two porters.Musa was believed to have been "loaned" by the SSG to LeT for targeted strikes on non-locals and security forces in Kashmir, according to the report.Along with him, J&K Police had earlier circulated sketches of two other terrorists: Ali Bhai, a Pakistani national, and Adil Hussain Thoker, a local trained in Pakistan, based on eyewitness accounts.A reward of Rs 20 lakh had been announced for information on them.The arrests of Parvaiz and Bashir were made following what sources described as a combination of witness statements and 'technical analysis.'Around 15 overground workers had reportedly been in contact with the attackers or were partially aware of the conspiracy. Investigators also found that the attackers had used Chinese apps, such as Ultra, to communicate with LeT handlers across the border.The two accused do not have any prior police record and have been booked under Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.The NIA plans to produce them in a special court in Jammu for custodial interrogation, which is expected to yield further insights into the conspiracy and the extent of cross-border involvement.The attackers themselves are still suspected to be hiding in the dense forest belt around the Tral-Kulgam-Anantnag tri-junction, according to NIA sources quoted by ToI.

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