Examiner Bureau | Jammu:
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jammu has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operational commander Mohammad Yaqoob, an absconding accused allegedly involved in directing terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Tuesday.
Yaqoob, a Pakistani national designated as a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry, is also known by the aliases Abu Sumama, Sumama Ilyas and Waris Ali. The warrant was issued last month, according to an order of the special NIA court.
He is the second senior LeT terrorist against whom the NIA court in Jammu has issued an NBW since July 8. Earlier, the court issued a similar warrant against Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of the proscribed terror organisation, in connection with the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack case.
Yaqoob was among 23 individuals designated as terrorists by the Union Home Ministry on July 4. According to officials, he operates as an LeT operational commander from Islamabad’s Chatta Bakhtawar area and is alleged to coordinate financial and logistical assistance for LeT cadres operating in Kashmir.
According to the court order dated July 16, the NIA sought the warrant against Yaqoob in connection with an ongoing investigation into a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act at a police station in Srinagar.
The case originated with the arrest of motorcyclist Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat at Gujar Tent, Pandach, and the alleged recovery of a Chinese grenade and 15 live rounds earlier this year.
Investigators subsequently claimed that Bhat’s arrest helped uncover a wider terror network operating across multiple states. Four more accused were arrested in the course of the investigation, including two Pakistani nationals identified as Abdullah Rajput alias Kamran Ahmed and Khubaib alias Usman Jatt.
The NIA told the court that its investigation had established the alleged involvement of Yaqoob, based on material gathered during the probe and disclosures made by the arrested accused.
According to the agency, Yaqoob allegedly acted as a Pakistan-based handler and issued directions to the accused to carry out terrorist activities in the Kashmir Valley, including attacks targeting security forces and civilians.
After examining the NIA’s application and the investigation record, the court observed that Yaqoob was absconding and that the investigating agency had been unable to secure his presence through ordinary means.
The court subsequently allowed the NIA’s application and issued a general non-bailable warrant of arrest against him. The warrant has been forwarded to the Deputy Inspector General, NIA Jammu, for execution in accordance with law, officials said.
