Latest news with #ParvaizAhmadJothar
Business Recorder
3 hours ago
- Business Recorder
India arrests two for harbouring Pahalgam attackers
OCCUPIED SRINAGAR: New Delhi's counter-terrorism agency said on Sunday it has arrested two men in IIOJK for allegedly harbouring gunmen behind a deadly attack on civilians that sparked a days-long conflict between the two countries. India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the two suspects were from the Pahalgam area, where gunmen killed 26 people two months ago. 'The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists, who had... selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity,' a statement by NIA said. The majority of those killed were Hindu men. The agency identified the two men as Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar, claiming the duo 'have disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack', and have confirmed they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group.
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
2 held for sheltering Pahalgam attackers
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two men for allegedly harbouring the terrorists who killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam two months ago, the agency said on Sunday, marking the first set of arrests in connection with the terror attack. ITBP personnel patrol an area at Betaab Valley of Pahalgam ahead of reopening of tourists places in the area, which were closed in view of security considerations after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in Anantnag district, Sunday (PTI) In a statement, NIA said that Pahalgam residents Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar knew about the terror affiliations of the three gunmen and provided them with shelter, food and logistical support in the days leading up to the April 22 attack. 'Parvaiz and Bashir had knowingly harboured the three armed terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park before the attack. The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists who selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity,' the anti-terror agency said in a statement and added the two have been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act's (UAPA) Section 19 (punishment for harbouring or concealing a terrorist). The agency did not disclose further information about the two men. Also Read | Pahalgam probe: In hunt for gunmen, 2 possibilities on radar Since the terror strike, security forces have killed six terrorists in separate encounters across Kashmir, but the Pahalgam attackers remain at large. Authorities detained close to 2,000 people for questioning in the aftermath of the attack. 'The duo has also disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack, and have also confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),' the anti-terror agency said in the statement. Also Read | 'Attack on every Indian's soul': PM Modi on Pahalgam terror attack at G7 Summit Authorities earlier identified the suspected attackers as Hashim Musa, also known as Suleiman, and Ali Bhai, also called Talha Bhai — both Pakistani nationals — and local operative Adil Hussain Thokker. The agency did not clarify on Sunday if the three terrorists alluded to in its statement were same as the ones identified earlier. NIA, which is formally investigating the case, has questioned hundreds of people over two months, including suspected collaborators, pony operators, vendors and tourism workers. Investigators have also examined videos and photographs taken by families at Baisaran meadow on the day of the attack. HT reported on Sunday that security forces are pursuing two theories about the whereabouts of the terrorists, with officials divided over whether the attackers remain in hiding or have fled to Pakistan. The Resistance Front, a proxy group for the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba organisation, claimed responsibility for the attack. Indian agencies say the group is a front used by Pakistan to avoid international sanctions. As first reported by HT on April 24, intelligence agencies traced the attack's digital communications to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, establishing Pakistani involvement in what officials described as similar to the control room-operated 2008 Mumbai attacks. India responded with Operation Sindoor on May 7, bombing nine terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in pre-dawn strikes that killed at least 100 militants. The operation sparked four days of cross-border fighting involving fighter jets, missiles and artillery.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
'3 Lashkar-e-Taiba ultras from Pakistan carried out Pahalgam attack'
(File photo) NEW DELHI: Three attackers - all Pakistani terrorists affiliated to Lashkar-e-Taiba - executed the brutal killing of 26 men, including 25 tourists, in Pahalgam on April 22, as per disclosures by two Kashmiris arrested by National Investigation Agency Sunday for harbouring the three terrorists prior to the attack. The arrests of Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Batkote, Pahalgam, and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park, Pahalgam, mark a big breakthrough in the case that shook the nation. The attack, the origins of which were traced to masterminds based in Pakistan, had led to retaliatory strikes by India on terror facilities and later even military assets inside Pakistan.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Pahalgam Attack: Two held for hiding Pakistani terrorists
New Delhi: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two men for allegedly harbouring terrorists who carried out the April 22 attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead and 16 others injured. Officials termed the arrests a "major breakthrough" and said the two individuals had disclosed the identities of three terrorists involved in the attack, confirming that the three are Pakistani nationals and part of the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The duo who allegedly provided shelter to the terrorists have been identified as Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Batkote, Pahalgam, and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park, Pahalgam. "Parvaiz and Bashir had knowingly harboured the three armed terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park before the attack, as per NIA investigations," said one of the officials. The two men "provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists, who had, on the fateful afternoon, selectively killed the tourists on the basis of their religious identity, making it one of the most gruesome terrorist attacks ever". The NIA arrested the duo under Section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Further investigations in the case are continuing, said officials. The April 22 attack triggered a military retaliation by India against " terror infrastructure " in Pakistan. The Centre said soon after the attack that it had been established that the attack was directed by Pakistan-based handlers and involved Pakistani terrorists who had crossed the Line of Control. Following the attack, India carried out strikes inside Pakistan at sites including the headquarters of the LeT and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) at Muridke and Bahawalpur, respectively. The air strikes destroyed key terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan as well as training camps and launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were carried out under Operation Sindoor , which is continuing, according to the government, with more punitive action not ruled out.
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Indian Express
All three Pahalgam attackers from Pakistan are different from those whose sketches were released initially by J&K Police, finds NIA probe
The arrest of two Kashmiri locals for allegedly harbouring terrorists who carried out the April 22 Pahalgam attack has led the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to conclude that all three attackers were from Pakistan. According to the agency, the terrorists visited the homes of Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Batkote, Pahalgam, and Bashir Ahmad Jothar from Hill Park, Pahalgam, and took food from them. 'During questioning, they have disclosed the identities of the three armed terrorists involved in the attack, and have also confirmed that they were Pakistani nationals affiliated to the proscribed terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba,' a NIA spokesperson said. The breakthrough is a departure from what was previously believed about the identities of the attackers. Two days after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, the Jammu and Kashmir police had released three sketches – Pakistan nationals Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai alias Talha, and Kashmir local Adil Hussain Thoker. NIA sources now say the three men in the sketches are not the Pahalgam attackers. Sources said one of the attackers is believed to be Suleiman Shah, who was involved in the killing of seven employees of a firm constructing the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway on October 20 last year. His co-accused from the attack, Junaid Ramzan Bhat, was killed on December 4 in a gunfight with the J&K police. From his phone, police had recovered a photo of Junaid along with three other militants. This photo went viral after the April 22 Pahalgam attack and, sources said, was used by the J&K as the basis for the sketches. During the investigation, the central agencies and the NIA showed different pictures recovered from Junaid's phone to the two arrested locals, who recognised the men who had visited them two days before the Pahalgam attack. 'The fresh pictures were also shown to several witnesses, and they too confirmed their presence at the crime scene. All three are Pakistani nationals, including the Z-Morh terror accused Suleman Shah,' said a source. 'Central agencies and the NIA are revisiting past cases and trying to tally ballistic reports so a strong case can be built against these attackers,' the source said. Investigators are also looking into whether Suleman was involved in the killing of three Army personnel in South Kashmir's Kulgam district in August 2023, and in another attack in Jammu's Poonch district in May last year, wherein an Air Force personnel was killed and four others injured. Before the NIA arrested the two locals for allegedly sheltering the attackers, the agency had questioned more than 200 people, including pony operators, shopkeepers and photographers. 'Parvaiz had a common friend with a pony operator, and their wives shared details of the visitor at their house,' said a source. The NIA believes the three attackers came to their homes late evening on April 20 and asked them to pack food. Before leaving, they gave them some money and threatened them not to tell anyone. 'As per the probe, Parvaiz and Bashir knowingly harboured the three armed terrorists at a seasonal dhok (hut) at Hill Park before the attack,' the spokesperson said, 'The two men had provided food, shelter and logistical support to the terrorists.' The two have been arrested under section 19 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
