J&K Police Arrest 2 in Attack Against YouTube Influencer

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Friday said that they have arrested two persons believed to be involved in the attack on a YouTube influencer in South Kashmir’s Shopian earlier in December.

The police, in a statement, alleged that the two persons were working as “hybrid” militants for The Resistance Front (TRF) outfit – an offshoot of Lashkar e Toiba (LeT). The police have been using the term ‘Hybrid' militants for civilians who are not listed as militants in the records of security forces but are alleged to be involved in militant activities secretly.

The duo was identified as Suhaib Reyaz, son of Reyaz Ahmad Mir and Anayat Ullah Iqbal, son of Mohammad Iqbal Wani – both residents of Saidapora village of Payeen in Shopian district. The police said that they admitted their involvement in the attack.

The attack was reportedly carried out against Waseem Ahmad Wani, a resident of Burihalan village of the Heerpora area of the same district. On December 25, Wani was shot at by armed assailants, but he escaped unhurt after the bullets intended for him missed the target and hit a vehicle nearby.

An investigation was launched into the attack and an FIR No. 116/2022 under section 307 IPC, 7/27 A Act and 16 UAP Act was filed at Police Station Heerpora following which a special investigation team (SIT) headed by DySP Hqrs Shopian was constituted.

“During the course of the investigation, on the basis of oral, circumstantial and technical evidence, the number of suspects were rounded up,” the police said.

The police also said that the weapon used in the attack was also recovered from the duo. 

“The weapon of offence viz a pistol along with its magazine and five pistol rounds besides, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has been recovered by a joint party of Police and 44RR in the orchards of village Saidapora Payeen Shopian,” the police added.

Such attacks against civilians in Kashmir mounted in the aftermath of the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A resulting in the killings of scores of civilians including those from the minority. There has been a relative lull since the past few months as the number of active local militants, the police claimed, has fallen to less than 30, the lowest ever since the insurgency began in the late 1980s.