Local, who ‘helped’ Pahalgam attackers, arrested in Kashmir Valley: officials

A local who “provided logistical support” to a group of non-local terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack was arrested in Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Wednesday (September 24, 2025).

A top police official identified the arrested local as Muhammad Yousuf Katari, 26, a resident of Kulgam. According to the police, Katari worked as an overground worker for the terror outfit behind the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 civilians dead on April 22 this year. The three Pahalgam attackers were later killed in Operation Mahadev in Srinagar’s Lidwas area in the upper reaches of the Dachigam forest area on July 28.

Official sources said the arrest of Katari could help in providing more information on the civilian killings at Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow. Officials suspect the accused may have arranged shelter, transport, and local reconnaissance for the attackers before arriving at the meadow.

Security agencies are likely to establish the escape route used by the terrorists after the attack with the help of the accused, officials said. They believe more arrests could follow in the case and “the wider network may be busted too”.