Pahalgam massacre: NIA says main perpetrator linked to 3 earlier attacks in Kashmir; Police release 2 more sketches

One of the main attackers in the Pahalgam incident, a Pakistani national named Hashim Musa, also known as Suleiman, had been active in Jammu and Kashmir for the past year and was likely involved in at least three attacks on security forces and non-locals, Hindustan Times reported, citing officials.

Musa is believed to be hiding in the higher reaches of the Pir Panjal range with four other terrorists who carried out the attack on tourists at Baisaran meadow on Tuesday, officials said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police identified the four terrorists as Ali Bhai, alias Talha (Pakistani), Asif Fauji (Pakistani), Adil Hussain Thoker (from Anantnag), and Ahsan (from Pulwama). Police also released sketches of the suspects based on descriptions provided by the survivors of the attack.

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Musa is suspected to be working with other Pakistan-backed terror groups in the Valley, in addition to Lashkar-e-Taiba.

As part of the investigation, security agencies are trying to identify potential links. An ongoing probe is also focused on locating local supporters of LeT who assisted Pakistani terrorists in moving from the border to various parts of Kashmir over the past year, an official said.

Investigators are also scanning online activity to identify individuals in Kashmir who may have been in contact with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) or its proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF), via encrypted messaging apps to plan attacks on non-locals, another officer said.

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The Pakistan-based Lashkar proxy group, The Resistance Front, has claimed responsibility for the terror attack.

Another official added that several local residents and overground workers are already being questioned, particularly about Musa’s involvement.

At all-party meet, government hints at ‘security lapse’

The Indian government on Thursday (24 April) indicated that there may have been a security lapse in the Pahalgam terror attack. At an all-party meeting, Union Home Minister Amit Shah acknowledged that certain failings needed to be investigated.

“If everything was fine, we wouldn’t be having this meeting. Something went wrong, and we need to find out what,” Shah reportedly told Opposition leaders.

Sources said that Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi questioned why no security personnel were deployed at the site of the attack.