Overview

• Police arrested Mohammad Yousuf Katari, 26, in the last week of September on suspicion of aiding the April 22 Pahalgam attackers who killed 26 people.
• Investigators say Katari told them he met Sulieman alias Asif, Jibran, and Hamza Afghani four times in the Zabarwan hills, guided them through terrain, and supplied an Android phone charger.
• The partially destroyed charger was recovered after July’s Operation Mahadev, which killed the three accused attackers, and was traced through a chain of ownership to Katari.
• He is in custody under Section 7/25 of the Arms Act and Sections 13, 16, 18, 20, and 38 of the UAPA, with police custody reported through October 6.
• Authorities call the arrest a key step against the local support network, and note the NIA is already probing the broader plot with two arrests to date.