New Delhi, April 29: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is “verifying” the possible involvement of a zip line operator who was reportedly heard chanting “Allahu Akbar” as gunfire erupted during the Pahalgam terror attack which left 26 tourists dead, including a Nepali citizen, sources said.
The zip line operator, identified by the locals as Muzammil, is being questioned by the NIA since Monday following a viral social media video in which he is heard chanting “Allahu Akbar” amid the terrorists’ gunfire around 2 pm on April 22 in Baisaran, the picturesque meadow located around five kilometres from Pahalgam town in Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Sources said the Central anti-terror agency is currently verifying the operator’s role and assessing whether there was any connection to the attackers.
Meanwhile, sources said, the NIA has questioned several people that included family members of victims and tourists present at the incident spot, pony rider operators amog others since it took over Pahalgam terror attack case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
The NIA formally registered a First Information Report in the case on April 26 night following an order issued from Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division of the Ministry of Home Affairs considering the gravity of the case as Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba’s proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The NIA teams have been camping at the Pahalgam terror attack site since April 23 and have intensified the search for evidence.
The teams, overseen by an Inspector General, a Deputy Inspector General and a Superintendent of Police, are examining the eyewitnesses who had seen the horrifying attack unfold before their eyes at the peaceful and picturesque Baisaran valley. “The eyewitnesses are being questioned in minute detail to piece together the sequence of events that led to one of the worst terror attacks in Kashmir.”
The NIA team is also learnt to have recreated the scene of the terror attack and conducted a thorough assessment of the attack site, collected forensic evidence, and engaged in identifying those responsible for the carnage.
The incident occurred at around 2 pm when terrorists came down from the mountain in Baisaran valley and started firing at the tourists who frequent the place, which is often dubbed ‘mini Switzerland’ because of its long, lush green meadows.
Authorities pressed a chopper into service for the evacuation of the injured persons.
The NIA’s fresh move followed a recent alert issued by the agencies, which have alerted about a possible plan of terrorists to attack “soft targets, especially police officials and local army and paramilitary personnel while on leave.”
In view of the inputs, it is also advised in the alert that police personnel should be advised to avoid visiting their native places, especially those which are terrorism affected.
