Pahalgam tourist attack: Three suspects identified
According to PTI, the attackers are identified as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha, with their aliases being Musa, Yunus, and Asif.
KATHMANDU: Indian authorities have identified three suspects involved in the attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
With the help of a survivor, officials have also created sketches of the suspects.
According to PTI, the attackers are identified as Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha, with their aliases being Musa, Yunus, and Asif.
The terrorist attack on Tuesday in Pahalgam claimed the lives of 27 people, including Sudip Neupane from Butwal.
Among the victims were U.A.E. nationals Marineem and Bitan Adhkheri Udhwani Kumar, as well as tourists from the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha.
Indian media reported that the attackers questioned tourists by name before opening fire. It is said that Uttar Pradesh’s Shubham Dwivedi was asked his name before being shot.
The attackers then continued shooting at other tourists.
Authorities believe the attackers crossed the border from Kishtwar in Jammu, entering South Kashmir via Kokernag, and reached Bijran.
A manhunt for the suspects has intensified.
The banned Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its affiliate, the Resistance Front (TRF), have claimed responsibility for the attack.
This is the deadliest attack in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack, which killed 40 CRPF personnel.
Following the Pahalgam assault, heightened security measures have been implemented in other cities across India.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah visited the site of the attack and convened an emergency security meeting in Srinagar on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently in Saudi Arabia, cut short his visit and returned to India early Wednesday morning. Modi strongly condemned the attack on social media, stating, “Our resolve against terrorism remains unshaken and will grow stronger.”
World leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have also condemned the attack.
