Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir have found that Mohd Ismail Alvi, a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), had plotted the major attack Pulwama that was averted on Wednesday night. The investigators found that Ismail is allegedly a bomb maker and also a relative of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.

A major car bomb attack was averted on Wednesday night after police in Kashmir’s Pulwama intercepted a vehicle moving about with 40-45 kg of explosives.

The local police got tipped off on Wednesday night that a terrorist was moving with an explosive-laden car. They took out various parties of police and security forces (SFs) and covered all possible routes keeping themselves and security forces away from road at a safer location.

The suspected vehicle came and a few rounds of bullets were fired towards it, following which the driver abandoned the vehicle and escaped into darkness.

After evacuating people in nearby houses, the vehicle was exploded in-situ by bomb disposal squads on Thursday morning as moving the vehicle would have involved serious threat to life.

IG Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar had said Jaish-e-Mohammed “played the main role” while Hizbul Mujahideen “assisted” them.

The security forces suspect that over 20 CRPF vehicles were the target of JeM terrorists attempting 2019 Pulwama-like attack.

Meanwhile, the owner of car has been identified as Hidayatullah Malik, a resident of Shopian. His interrogation is on.

Sources quoted by IANS have said that Ismail’s name cropped up recently in the probe carried out by National Investigation Agency in the February 14, 2019 Pulwama attack in which over 40 CRPF personnel were killed.

Meanwhile, the latest attempt to create unrest in the valley comes as intelligence agencies have informed that Hizbul Mujahideen is regrouping and plans to strike back within 10 days carrying out multiple terror strikes across the valley.

Hizbul commander and one of Kashmir’s most wanted terrorist Riyaz Naikoo was neutralised on May 6 after being trapped in the Beighpora area of Awantipora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district in an encounter that continued for over 12 hours.

The killing of Naikoo has been seen as a huge shock for the terror outfit as Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin had said that Indian security forces’ position in the Kashmir valley is strong, according to a video of him which surfaced recently.