Srinagar Attack: There were at least three terrorists involved in the attack, the police says.
In shaky first-person footage, the violence is hard to miss. Terrorists are seen gunning down policemen in the heart of Srinagar on Tuesday in a brazen attack that has sent alarm bells ringing within the security apparatus in Jammu and Kashmir.
The video was released purportedly by the terrorists behind the attack, in which a police officer was killed, and two others injured, via Amaq, the terrorist propaganda outlet linked to ISIS.
According to officials on the ground, the attack has been claimed by ISIS and The Resistance Front (TRF) - an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba that emerged after the 2019 move by the central government to scrap Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
"They used a professional body camera to film the attack and then, while claiming responsibility, released the video too," a senior police officer told NDTV, requesting not to be named.
According to him, the investigation so far has revealed that there were at least three terrorists involved in the attack.
"Two of them came in a motorcycle and started shooting with the pistol, which is seen in the video clip which has been released. But one can also hear the burst of [an] AK [rifle] which indicates that there was at least one more terrorist," said the officer.
In all likelihood, the third terrorist was also a pillion rider on a second motorcycle, he added.
It was the first terrorist shooting in Srinagar in almost 15 days. "Since the beginning of Amarnath Yatra, this is the first attack," said an official. Intelligence inputs suggest that there may be more to come, he added.
This is the third attack in which terrorists used body cameras to shoot the attack. "It's a first this year. Earlier in 2020, they had used a similar modus operandi in Baramulla. And then near Pampore bypass in 2021," said an official.
"An attempt is being made by Pakistani handlers to glorify attacks on police personnel and also want to lure local youth," said another officer involved in counterterror operations in Kashmir Valley.
According to government records, about 70 local young men have joined various terror outfits during the first six months of this year.
The pace of growing radicalisation in Kashmir has alarmed security forces operating in the valley. "ISIS has gained traction all over, and so is the case in Kashmir. Recent incidents in the country might be a trigger," said an official in the Ministry of Home Affairs.