Lashkar leader arrested in Kashmir

A senior leader of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit was arrested Friday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, police said.

LeT district commander Naveed Jat alias Abu Hanzullah, a Pakistani militant, was arrested in a joint operation by police, Rashtriya Rifles as well as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a police officer told IANS here.

Acting on a tip off, security forces cordoned off Shampora village and apprehended Naveed Jat, son of Muhammad Hanief Jat, a resident of Sahiwala in Multan district of Pakistan, he said.

Naveed Jat, the self-styled district commander of LeT in Shopian and a close associate of LeT chief Abu Qasim, was operating in the area for two years and was involved in the killing of two policemen in Pulwama.

He was also involved in the recent firing on a police party in Shopian in which five police personnel were injured, the officer added.

An AK-47 rifle, two AK-47 magazines and 60 AK-47 rounds were recovered from his possession.