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Who was Abu Qatal, Hafiz Saeed's nephew and mastermind behind civilian attacks in J&K, killed in Pakistan?
Abu Qatal was the mastermind of the 2023 Rajouri terror attack that resulted in the death of seven people and injured 13 others.
Faisal Nadeem, alias Abu Qatal, a key mastermind behind the attack on a pilgrims' bus that killed nine and injured 41 in Reasi district on June 9 last year, and the killing of seven people in Rajouri district's Dangri village on January 1, 2023, was shot dead on Saturday night in the Dina area of Punjab, Pakistan.
Qatal, who, according to a Deccan Herald report, was the nephew of 26/11 mastermind and terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.
He was traveling with his security guard in Dina area of Jhelum district around 7 pm when they came under a barrage of gunfire from unknown attackers, India Today reported.
The attack killed him and one of his security guards on the spot, while another guard was critically injured.
Who was Abu Qatal?
Abu Qatal, the chief operational commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was responsible for executing attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. He masterminded some of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the Jammu region, particularly in Reasi and Rajouri districts.
On January 1, 2023, terrorists targeted Dangri village, opening fire on villagers and killing five innocent civilians. As they fled, the attackers left behind an improvised explosive device (IED), which claimed the lives of two minors the next morning.
On June 9, 2024, nine people were killed, and 41 others injured when a bus full of pilgrims came under terrorist fire and plunged into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district. The bus, heading to the Shiv Khori cave temple, fell off the road after being attacked.
In February last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had charge-sheeted Qatal in connection with the attack, along with four others.
Those charged included three Pakistan-based handlers of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Apart from Qatal, the two other handlers were identified as Saifullah and Mohammad Qasim.
According to the NIA, the attacks on Indian soil were carried out under orders from the three handlers.
Qatal was known by several other aliases, including Ali, Habibullah, Nouman, and Mohamad Qasim. Qatal played a key role in recruiting and deploying Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists from across the border, targeting civilians. His main targets included the minority community in the union territory, along with the security personnel.
