Apple harvest keeps youth away from terror

Investigations into the “white collar” terror module busted after the recent car bombing near Red Fort showed that the mastermind Dr Umar-un Nabi had attempted to recruit a second suicide bomber but could not succeed as he backed out of the terror plot citing the need to help his family during the apple harvest, officials said Sunday.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The Srinagar Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have uncovered a parallel terror module orchestrated by Nabi, the man who was driving the explosive-laden vehicle that detonated outside the historic Red Fort November 10, killing over 12 people.

Interrogations of the arrested suspects have highlighted recruitment tactics used by the doctor-turned-terrorist, leading to the nabbing of a Shopian resident, Yasir Ahmed Dar, by the NIA.

The officials said Nabi had successfully radicalised Dar as a potential suicide bomber, but during a meeting in August last year, he backed out at the last minute, citing the "apple harvest season" and repairs at home as reasons.

According to the officials, Dar had been in contact with Nabi since 2023 and he admitted that Nabi's professional status as a medical doctor played a significant role in his influence, making his extremist rhetoric more persuasive and "trustworthy" to recruits.

During the investigation, the police also recovered a voice note from the phone of one of the accused in which he is pronouncing 'Bayat' (oath of allegiance) for Jihad.

The name of Dar, a school dropout, had surfaced earlier in investigations when one of his friends had joined the ranks of terror groups.