Owais Amin.

NEW DELHI: The terrorist behind Friday's car blast on the Banihal stretch of Jammu-Srinagar highway identified himself as Owais Amin of Hizbul Mujhaideen in a ‘suicide note’ he left behind owning up to the attack, even though he seems to have subsequently changed his mind and abandoned the explosives-laden car moments before the blast.

Owais, in the two-page note recovered by J&K police which is probing the case with the assistance of NIA , said he was strapping himself with explosives to avenge the “atrocities” committed by “Baharat” (a possible reference to Bharat/India) against the people of Kashmir. He specifically referred to the youngest pellet gun victim, 18-month-old Hibba Nisar, who was hit in the eye inside her house in November 2018, and Kashmiri teacher Rizwan Asad Pandithwho died in police custody in Awantipora on March 19.

“I have decided to avenge these atrocities by strapping myself with explosives and blowing up ‘Indians’ responsible for the same,” he said in the note perused by TOI. He added, “By the time you all read this letter, I will be enjoying the comforts of Allah’s paradise. Had India allowed Kashmiristo independently decide their fate, I would have not been driven to take this extreme step.”

Owais figures in J&K police records as OwaisAhmad Malik, son of Mohd Yousuf Malik and resident of Arwani, Bijbehara. A ‘C’ category terrorist carrying the code ‘Musai Jihadi/Huzaifa’, he joined Hizbul Mujahideen on April 5, 2018. He was known to be operating in Jablipora, Arwani in Bijbehara.

Investigations by J&K police and the NIA have confirmed that a Hyundai Santro car was used by Owais for the blast. The engine number and chassis number of the car did not match, enquiries with Hyundai revealed. “The car is possibly stolen. Either the engine number has been tampered with or the engine of another car has been fitted into the vehicle to wipe off the trail. Further investigations are on,” an officer associated with the probe said.

Source said it was clear that Owais’sintention was to recreate the Pulwama attack of February 14 by driving the explosives-laden car into the CRPF convoy passing by Banihal . He chose to attack on the Jammu side of the Jawahar tunnel as civilian traffic there is still allowed to move alongside convoys, unlike Kashmir where restrictions are in place since the Pulwama attack left 40 CRPF personnel dead.

