LeT terrorist gunned down in Sopore, two police personnel injured

A Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist involved in a recent attack on a fruit merchant's home in Sopore was gunned down by security forces in the Jammu and Kashmir town, police said.

Two police personnel were injured in a grenade blast at the encounter site and are out of danger.

The terrorist, identified as LeT's Asif Maqbool Bhatt, was killed in a brief encounter in Sopore in the valley's Baramulla district, police said.

The encounter broke out when security forces, acting on specific information, launched a search and cordon operation in the town to flush out the hiding terrorist.

"He (Asif) was challenged to stop but he didn't. He threw a grenade at our parties in which two of our police personnel were injured. They are out of danger," Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh told reporters here.

He said Bhatt had created terror in Sopore.

"Over the last one month he was very active. He made use of overground workers to print posters threatening civilians to not open shops shops and not go for their day-to-day activities", he added

Bhatt was responsible for a recent attack on the home of a fruit trader in Sopore, police said.

Three members of Hamidullah Rather's family, including his toddler granddaughter, were injured in the attack.

Two men went to his residence and, not finding him home, they shot at and injured his family members.

Bhatt was also responsible for shooting at a migrant labourer, Shafi Aaalam, in Sopore, police officials said.