Who is Saifullah Kasuri? Suspected mastermind of Pahalgam terror attack

At least 27 innocent civilians were killed in a terror attack on Tuesday (April 22) at the Bisaran meadow in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

Immediately after, The Resistance Front (TRF), a splinter group of the banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), took responsibility for the deadly terror attack.

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The attack is being viewed as a part of a larger conspiracy by Pakistan, which seems to be the latest step in a more comprehensive terror campaign before the Amarnath Yatra, according to security officials. The groups, officials say, have now reportedly changed tactics, organising smaller strike teams that are attacking civilians.

Who is Saifullah Kasuri?

According to various media outlets, Saifullah Kasuri, alias Khalid, is believed to be among the plotters. Two Rawalkot-based Lashkar commanders, one of them Abu Musa, are also being questioned, sources were quoted saying to The Times of India.

There were even reports of Kasuri being the ‘mastermind’ of the Pahalgam attack. Saifullah Kasuri, a Pakistani national, is said to be an old-timer in the LeT ranks and is reported to have moved up the ranks by masterminding several cross-border terror strikes.

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His name has appeared in various previous dossiers submitted to international intelligence agencies, and he is believed to have close relationships with the group’s ideological and logistical leadership, especially with Hafiz Saeed. His name has been associated with numerous major terror attacks in India.

Reports indicate that there were five to six terrorists, among them some who had recently crossed over from PoK. Kasuri, the officials consider, had controlled the attack remotely in coordination with other Pakistan-based handlers.