Identities of all three Pahalgam attackers different from sketches released earlier by J&K police, NIA probe finds
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Identities of all three Pahalgam attackers different from sketches released earlier by J&K police, NIA probe finds
The NIA’s investigation into the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack has revealed that all three militants involved were Pakistani nationals. This contradicts the previous claims that one of the terrorists involved in the attack was a Kashmiri local. The revelation comes after the arrest of two locals who allegedly provided food and shelter to the attackers. The April 22 attack claimed 26 lives. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
According to a report by Indian Express, the initial assessment by Jammu and Kashmir Police of the involved terrorists was incorrect. Two days after the attack, police had released sketches identifying the suspects as Pakistani nationals Hashim Musa and Ali Bhai alias Talha, along with a local, Adil Hussain Thoker. However, the IE report quoted NIA sources now stating that none of those sketched were involved in the Pahalgam attack.
Previously released sketch of terrorists allegedly involved in Pahalgam attack released by J&K police.
An NIA spokesperson said, “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.”
According to the report, one of the attackers is believed to be Suleiman Shah, a Pakistani terrorist involved in the killing of seven workers at the Z-Morh tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway in 2023. His associate in that attack, Junaid Ramzan Bhat, was killed in a police operation on December 4. A photo recovered from Junaid’s phone, showing him with three other militants, was widely circulated after the Pahalgam attack and used as the basis for the initial sketches, the IE reported.
After the latest arrest of locals, central agencies and the NIA showed alternative images, which were also recovered from Junaid’s phone, to them. They confirmed the identities of the visitors, two days before the Pahalgam attack, as those in the new images. Multiple eyewitnesses also validated their presence at the crime scene, the report further stated.
The April 22 attack claimed 26 lives. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Operation resulted in a tense cross-border military escalation for three days with Pakistan.