Pak terror link established, 3 LeT terrorists identified

IN the first breakthrough in the ongoing probe into the Pahalgam terror attack, security agencies have identified the three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists involved in gruesome killings of tourists.

- FAYAZ WANI & MUKESH RANAJAN @Srinagar/New Delhi

Of the three attackers, two are Pakistan nationals while the third is a local from south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

The three attackers have been identified as Hashim Musa alias Suleiman and Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai, both Pakistan-native terrorists and Abid Hussain Thoker, resident of Anantnag. "All the three militants belong to Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba," a security official said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is likely to take over the probe into the Pahalgam terror attack soon, is considering various factors that could have motivated the violence and if the timing of the incident has anything to do with the extradition of 26/11-orchestrator Tahawwur Rana, now in NIA custody.