The National Investigation Agency has made two new arrests, including a teenager, from Kashmir Valley for their role in Pulwama terror attack carried out by Pakistan Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel on February 14, last year.
The two arrested, 19-years-old Waiz-ul-Islam and 32-years-old Mohammad Abbass Rather, hail from Srinagar and Pulwama respectively.
The NIA revealed that arrested terrorist aide, Waiz-ul-Islam, bought chemicals on the Amazon shopping website which was used to prepare the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) used in the Pulwama suicide attack.
According to reports, Amazon had shared the information with the NIA about a buyer who used the online shopping portal to buy ingredients for the making improvised explosive device (IED). Based on details shared by Amazon, NIA arrested Waiz-ul-Islam.
During the interrogation, Waiz-ul-Islam revealed that he had used his account on e-commerce website Amazon to procure chemicals, batteries and other relevant accessories on the directions of JeM. He further revealed that he had personally delivered the item to JeM terrorists after receiving the materials.
Read: Pulwama suicide bombing: NIA arrests father daughter duo who had hosted, helped JeM terrorists
NIA sources said Waiz bought chemicals like ammonium nitrate and other things required to make the bomb like batteries from Amazon and deliver it to Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ismail alias Adnan himself at the Budgam Pulwama border, Waiz considered Adnan as the central commander of Jaish. Adnan is the relative of JeM chief and UN-designated terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar.
An officer in the arresting NIA team said: “The boy is very young and bright, but his role in the Pulwama conspiracy is unmistakable.” The NIA has decided on not releasing Waiz’s photograph for now.
Meanwhile, Waiz told the authorities that he was briefed what to order online and then to subsequently deliver the “goods” to the module. He did not know about the extent of Pulwama’s conspiracy.
NIA said Waiz was active online, and the agency is checking his social media profile to check for links to the terror module. They will further probe him as to how he was roped in by the terrorist organisation, Jaish.
The NIA further said that the other accused arrested, 32-years-old Mohammad Abbas Rather is an over-ground worker of the JeM who had given shelter to JeM terrorist and IED specialist Mohammad Umar in his house in the months of April-May in 2018. Abbas had also given shelter to JeM terrorists namely suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar, Sameer Ahmed Dar and IED expert Kamran (Pakistani) at his house a number of times in the run-up to the Pulwama attack.
Notably, Adil Ahmad Dar is the Jaish terrorist and the Pulwama’s suicide bomber who led a deadly attack leading to the killing of 40 CRPF men by ramming his car loaded with 100 kg of explosives into a CRPF bus on 14 February 2019.
The two arrested accused shall be produced before the NIA Special Court at Jammu on Saturday.
With these two arrests, the total number of arrests in the Pulwama attack case has gone up to five. On February 29, 2020, NIA arrested a Pakistan-sponsored Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist for his involvement in the Pulwama terror attack last year.
According to reports, 22-year-old Shakir Bashir Magrey, resident of Hajibal, Kakapora in Pulwama, had provided shelter and other logistical assistance to Islamic terrorists and suicide-bomber Adil Ahmad Dar. Magrey was introduced to terrorist Dar in mid-2018 by Pakistani terrorist Mohammad Umar Farooq and he became a full-time overground worker (OGW) of the JeM.
Magrey was also involved in modifying the Maruti Eeco car and fitting IED to it in early February 2019, the NIA said.
On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber at Lethpora in the Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The terrorist attack sponsored by Pakistan resulted in the deaths of 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and the terrorist Adil Ahmad Dar.
