LeT Terrorist Who Attacked Fruit Trader’s Family Killed in Sopore

The terrorist, identified as Asif Maqbool Bhat, was killed in a brief shootout with the police in Sopore.

Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have identified the terrorist gunned down on Wednesday, 11 September, as the one responsible for attacking a Sopore fruit trader's family last week in which a two-year-old girl had also been injured.

The terrorist, identified as Asif Maqbool Bhat of the proscribed Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-Taiba (LeT), was killed in a brief shootout with the police in Sopore.

"The terrorist has been identified as Asif Maqbool Bhat of LeT. He was responsible for a recent shootout and injuries to three family members of a fruit trader of Sopore. The injured also included a young girl. Was also responsible for shooting at migrant labourer Shafi Alam at Sopore," tweeted Jammu and Kashmir Police.

"He (Asif) was challenged to stop but he didn't. He threw a grenade at our parties in which two of our police personnel were injured. They are out of danger," Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh told reporters in Srinagar.

"Over the last one month he was very active. He made use of overground workers to print posters threatening civilians to not open shops shops and not go for their day-to-day activities", Singh said, adding that Bhatt was responsible for a recent attack on the home of a fruit trader in Sopore.

Three members of Hamidullah Rather's family, including his toddler granddaughter, Asima, were injured in the attack.

The terrorists had also attacked a migrant labourer from Bihar, Shafi Alam, who had sustained gunshot wounds on his shoulder and neck.

On 9 September, Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with the Army and other security forces including the Central Reserve Police Force had arrested eight terrorists from the Sopore region after busting a terror module of the LeT.

Javaid Iqbal, SSP of Sopore district, said the men had hatched a conspiracy to print posters threatening locals from venturing out of their homes, either for trade, travel, schools or offices. They used to distribute these posters for circulation in local villages.