New Delhi: The Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed last February was carried out with explosive materials like ammonium nitrate, nitro-glycerin and RDX, and many of the components used to make the bomb were procured through an online delivery portal.
This was the big revelation made by the National Investigation Agency after it arrested Pakistan-based outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed's suspected overground worker Shakir Bashir Magrey from Pulwama.
A senior official of the probe agency told CNN-News18 that Magrey, 22, has confessed that the battery and the ammonium nitrate that were used to make the improvised explosive device were ordered off an online portal.
Magrey, the official said, also revealed that he drove the explosive-laden Maruti Eeco vehicle that was used to attack the CRPF convoy till about 500m before the blast site. "He got off the car 500m before scene of the attack and then Adil Ahmed Dar drove the rest and rammed the convoy," a top NIA officer told CNN-News18.
The accused was produced before a NIA special court on Friday and has been remanded to 15 days in NIA custody for interrogation.
The NIA in its statement said Magrey was an active conspirator in the Pulwama attack and had harboured the suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar, recced the area where the blast took place and also tweaked the vehicle for the bombing.
"Accused Shakir Bashir Magrey has revealed that he had harboured Adil Ahmad Dar and Pakistani terrorist Mohammad Umar Farooq in his house from late 2018 till the attack in February 2019, and assisted them in the preparation of the IED,” the statement said.
Magrey’s furniture shop was located near Lethpora bridge, and as advised by Mohammad Umar, he started conducting reconnaissance of the movement of CRPF convoy on Jammu-Srinagar Highway in January 2019, and informed Mohammad Umar and Adil Ahmad Dar about it. “He was also involved in modifying the Maruti Eeco car and fitting the IED in it in early February,2019," NIA statement said.
NIA said that along with Dar and Magrey, Pakistani terrorists Muhammad Umar Farooq and IED expert Kamran were involved in the Pulwama attack conspiracy.
The two were killed in March 2019. Sources said Kamran's mobile phone found after he was killed in an encounter led NIA to a big breakthrough.
"On his mobile phone we found videos of how to make explosives mixing nitrate with RDX and also phone numbers. This gave a completely new direction to the NIA probe," an officer said.
NIA suspects the 80kg RDX used in the attack was brought in via Pakistan using the cross-LOC trade route. NIA officials say they are hopeful of more revelations after interrogation of Magrey.
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