Top Lashkar terrorist with ISI links identified as mastermind behind Pahalgam terror attack: Reports

At least 28 people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday

Top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Saifullah Sajid Jutt has been identified as the mastermind behind the Pahalgam terror attack that left at least 28 persons dead on Tuesday afternoon, media reports said.

Saifullah Sajid Jutt, also known as Saifullah Kasuri, is a native of Shangamanga village in Pakistan's Punjab. He has been labelled a "hardcore terrorist" by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Reports said that he currently operates from Islamabad.

Kasuri is believed to have close ties with ISI officials and officials in the Pakistan Army. A Times Now report said that he often masks his terror-related activities with charity.

At least 28 people were killed after armed terrorists opened fire at a group of 40 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday. The people who were killed during the attack included locals and foreign nationals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on an official trip to Saudi Arabia, returned to India on Wednesday and held a high-level meeting to discuss the attack. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah also rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday after the attack and held a high-level meeting there.

"I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected," PM Modi said in a social media post.

"Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger," he further said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also cut short her official trip to the US and Peru and will return to India shortly. Meanwhile, several tourists have been trying to immediately leave Kashmir after panic struck the valley following the terror attack.