23-year-old Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Mudasir Ahmed Khan has been identified as the mastermind behind the Pulwama attack that claimed the lives of over 40 CRPF soldiers on February 14, after he was killed in an encounter in the Tral area of South Kashmir along with two other terrorists.

After putting together the evidence gathered so far from the attack, security officials have determined that the 23-year-old graduate electrician and a resident of Pulwama, arranged the vehicle and explosives used in the terror strike. Upon receiving information regarding the presence of militants in Tral’s Pinglish area, a cordon was launched by the security forces. The three militants, including Mudasir Ahmed Khan, who opened fire at the armed security personnel, were then killed in the encounter.

Noor Mohammad Tantray reportedly helped revive the JeM terror group in the Kashmir Valley. Mudasir Ahmed Khan, who joined the terror outfit in 2017, was initially employed as an overground worker. Following Tantray’s death in January 2018, Mudasir Khan had remained an active member of the group. He was found to be in contact with Adil Ahmed Dar, the suicide bomber who drove the explosive-laden vehicle in the CRPF convoy that killed the 40 soldiers. Further probe on the terror attack is still in progress.