In Big Pahalgam Attack Breakthrough, Man Who Helped Terrorists Arrested

Jammu and Kashmir Police have detained an individual who provided logistical assistance to terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack, sources informed NDTV on Wednesday evening.

Mohammad Katari was apprehended following forensic examination of weaponry and equipment seized during July's Operation Mahadev, which resulted in security forces eliminating two gunmen responsible for the massacre of 26 individuals at Baisaran Valley, a tourist destination near Pahalgam.

According to sources, Katari will appear before a court and subsequently be remanded to judicial custody.

This represents the first significant breakthrough for security forces since Operation Mahadev, highlighting the government's persistent efforts to apprehend all parties responsible for the Pahalgam attack, which a faction of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba claimed responsibility for.

Operation Mahadev commenced on May 22, when security forces received intelligence about terrorists concealed in Dachigam near Srinagar. After weeks of surveillance—during which military intercepted encrypted communications on Chinese-origin devices—the offensive began on July 28.

The terrorists activated a T82 communications device that enabled Indian forces to precisely locate their position.

At 8 am, authorities deployed a drone for visual verification of the terrorists. By 9:30 am, the Rashtriya Rifles—the Army's counter-insurgency unit in J&K—and Special Forces commandos were deployed on the ground, with secondary visual confirmation achieved within 30 minutes.

Gunfire erupted at 11 am. By 11:45 am, one injured terrorist attempting escape was neutralized. At 12:45 pm, all three had been eliminated, with their bodies located and identified, including Suleiman Shah, alias Hashim Musa, the alleged orchestrator of the Pahalgam attack.

Shah previously served as a commando in Pakistan Army's elite Special Service Group before joining UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed's LeT to conduct terrorist operations, according to sources.

J&K Police had announced a Rs 20 lakh reward for information regarding Suleiman Shah, who initially infiltrated India in September 2023. In October 2024, he directed an attack resulting in seven civilian fatalities and was implicated in an assault in Baramulla that killed four security personnel.

NDTV obtained photographs of the terrorist hideout, revealing assault rifles, ammunition, and equipment recovered from their location.

The images displayed multiple firearms, including AK-47 and M9 assault rifles. These weapons and other equipment facilitated J&K Police in tracking and apprehending Mohammad Katari.

The weapons underwent examination at a Chandigarh laboratory, confirming their use in the Pahalgam attack. Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Parliament, "We generated empty bullet shells by firing these rifles and matched them to those found in Pahalgam. It was confirmed that these rifles were used to murder innocent civilians."

The Pahalgam terrorist attack claimed 26 lives in the deadliest assault in nearly two decades, with perpetrators reportedly questioning victims about their religious affiliation before executing them.

This incident precipitated a severe diplomatic crisis with Pakistan. The Indian government—which has consistently accused Pakistan's establishment of supporting cross-border terrorism—initially retaliated by suspending the crucial Indus Waters Treaty that supplies irrigation to over half of Pakistani agricultural lands.

A military response followed shortly thereafter; Operation Sindoor commenced early May 7. Indian missile strikes targeted nine terrorist camps and training facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Despite instructions to stand down, Islamabad responded with drone and missile attacks that Indian forces intercepted.

The conflict persisted for 100 hours before Pakistan, whose air defense network was compromised, requested a ceasefire. Following the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India had adopted a more assertive doctrine regarding responses to terrorist attacks on its territory.

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