Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday said it had arrested a fourth suspect in the murder of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari, whose killing has sent shockwaves in the state and beyond.
S.P. Pani, the Inspector General of Police of Kashmir zone, said Bukhari’s killing here on Thursday evening — two days before Eid — along with his two security guards was a terror crime.
“We have released the picture of three terrorists on a motorcycle who were involved in this terror crime. That picture is in public domain.
“Based on another video, a bearded man is seen picking up a pistol from the site of the crime and vanishing. This video was released by us seeking public cooperation.
“With the help of the public, this person has been arrested. We have also recovered the pistol which this person picked up from the crime site.
“Based on his interrogation we recovered the clothes he was wearing at the site of the crime. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate this crime.”
The police officer said the security guards of Bukhari had been issued two 9 mm pistols.
The police had recovered one pistol after the terror attack while the second was missing. The missing pistol was recovered from the arrested fourth suspect.
Pani called the killing of Bukhari, whose funeral in Baramulla on Friday was attended by hundreds amid a spontaneous general strike, was “a highly sensitive case”.
Jammu and Kashmir police chief S.P. Vaid earlier told reporters: “Rest assured, we will get the killers.”
Top sources said the police suspect Naveed Jat alias Abu Hanzullah, an LeT terrorist to have been among the three assassins seen escaping on a motorcycle after the murder.
Abu Hanzullah had escaped from Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital with the help of LeT accomplices on February 6.
Two policemen were killed in that incident.
