Security personnel during a search operation at Baisaran area of Pahalgam to nab attackers of the Pahalgam terror attack, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 23, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI

Two Kashmiri men are suspected to be among a group of around four to six armed terrorists who killed tourists at the Pahalgam meadow in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday (April 22, 2025) afternoon, a Government source told The Hindu.

As many as 26 people were killed in the terror attack targeted at male tourists, who were singled out based on their religion.

Also read | Pahalgam terror attack LIVE updates

The two locals identified as Adil Guri of Anantnag and Ahsan from Pulwama district in south Kashmir went to Pakistan in 2018. “The two infiltrated recently with three to four other Pakistani men. We had certain inputs about their movement,” said a Government source.

Sketches released of attackers

Based on eyewitness accounts, the Jammu and Kashmir Police released the sketches of three Pakistanis who carried out the attack.

Sketches were released of three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam terror attack, on April 23, 2025

Eyewitnesses told the police that the terrorists were dressed in camouflage uniforms and were armed with AK series rifles.

Another official said that the terrorists were wearing helmet-mounted cameras and videotaped the attack. The place of the attack was chosen as it lacks road connectivity and can be accessed on foot or pony, said the official.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah who rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday, met the families of victims at police headquarters on Wednesday.

Mr. Shah posted on X, “With a heavy heart, paid last respects to the deceased of the Pahalgam terror attack. Bharat will not bend to terror. The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared.”

He later visited Baisaran, the scene of the terror attack in Pahalgam and took stock of the situation. Mr. Shah is likely to attend the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in Delhi in the evening.