Who is Adil Thokar? Most wanted behind the Pahalgam terror attack

NEW DELHI: India on April 22 saw a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 people including a foreigner. Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists Asif Shaikh and Adil Thokar , also known as Adil Guree, have been declared the most wanted terrorists in connection with the Pahalgam attack on tourists.

Six foreign terrorists , dressed in Army uniforms, executed victims at close range, reportedly after forcing them to recite Islamic verses and reveal their names, revealed eyewitnesses. On Friday, the houses of both Adil and Asif were demolished after the attack marked one of the deadliest strikes since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019.

Who is Adil Thokar(alais Adil Guree)?

• Adil is a resident of Guree village in the Bijbehara block of Anantnag district .
• Along with two other LeT operatives, Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa, Thokar is suspected of orchestrating the Pahalgam killings.
• The three reportedly used code names, Moosa, Yunus and Asif, during the attack to mask their identities.
• The Anantnag Police has announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for any information leading to his capture.
• Thokar had legally travelled to Pakistan in 2018 through the Attari-Wagah land border and received terror training before infiltrating back into Jammu and Kashmir last year. He had remained under the radar after returning and didn’t engage in any overt operation, though security agencies reportedly spotted him in South Kashmir on a few occasions.
• A source told TOI that Thokar was familiar with the forested terrain of Baisaran in Pahalgam and is believed to have played the role of a guide for the Pakistani terrorists.
• He likely helped them navigate the area, arrange a hideout in the forest, conduct reconnaissance over several days and plan both the execution and the escape route for the attackers.