On 29th July, Jammu and Kashmir Police said they had arrested a hybrid terrorist of the Al-Badr terrorist group. The terrorist arrested by the police has been identified as Arfat Yusuf, a resident of Rajpora Pulwama. Reportedly, he was planning terror activities in the valley. Police have also recovered arms and ammunition from Yusuf.
A hybrid terrorist of Al Badr namely Arfat Yusuf S/o Md Yusuf of Rajpora Pulwama arrested from Batmaloo with a Glock Pistol, 20 live rounds & 2 magazines. He had done terror acts in Pulwama & was in Srinagar for same. FIR 94/2023 U/s 13,23 of UAPA & 7/25 of IA Act at Batmaloo PS. pic.twitter.com/JzrgBq1Eks
— Srinagar Police (@SrinagarPolice) July 29, 2023
An FIR under Sections 13 and 23 of UAPA and Sections 7 and 25 of the IA Act has been registered at Batmaloo Police Station. In a statement, a J&K police spokesperson said he was arrested from the Batamaloo area of the city based on specific intelligence. Police recovered incriminating material, including a pistol, 20 live rounds, and two magazines from his possession.
The spokesperson said that Yusuf was involved in terror activities being carried out in South Kashmir Range. He had come to Srinagar intending to initiate attacks in the city as well but was arrested before he could execute them. Reportedly, he was involved in two grenade attacks on security forces. The first attack happened on a CRPF vehicle in Rajpora, and the second one happened at the CRPF/RR Camp at Hawal, Rajpira Pulwama. Several terror cases have already been registered against him.
Hybrid terrorists and why they pose a serious threat
‘Hybrid’ terrorists can be defined as unlisted radicalized persons who carry out terror strikes and often slip back into their routine life without leaving any trace. As per security agencies, these hybrid terrorists are not ultras. However, they are radicalised by the anti-national forces enough that they are willing to carry out a terror strike.
Security agencies define these terrorists as ‘boys next door’ who are kept on standby mode by terrorist organizations. In between two tasks, these hybrid terrorists live their normal life. As they live among the general population, it is hard for security agencies to track and trace them, making them a serious threat to national security.
