JAMMU: The terrorist who threw the grenade at the Jammu bus stand on Thursday morning, has been arrested by police, Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbagh Singh said.
The attacker Yasin Javid Bhat with suspected Hizbul Mujahideen link was arrested at toll plaza in Nagrota, IGP Jammu M K Sinha told reporters. He was arrested on the basis of CCTV footage and testimony by eyewitnesses, Sinha further said.
Bhat was in contact with Farooq Ahmad Bhat, district commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in Kulgam, Sinha said, adding that Bhat confessed to having procured the grenade from Farooq Bhat in Kulgam and reached Jammu on Thursday morning.
This is the third grenade attack by terrorists in Jammu bus stand since May last year, viewed by security agencies as an attempt to disturb communal harmony and peace in the city.
A teenager was killed and 32 others were injured on Thursday in a grenade attack by terrorists in the crowded general bus stand area in the heart of the city, officials said.
Mohammad Sharik, 17, a resident of Hardiwar in Uttarakhand, who was among 33 people brought to the hospital, succumbed to splinter injuries in the chest, the officials said.
The condition of four more injured persons was "critical" and two of them were operated upon, they said.
The injured included 11 residents of Kashmir, two from Bihar and one each from Chattisgarh and Haryana, the officials said.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu, M K Sinha said preliminary investigation suggested that someone lobbed the grenade into the bus stand area around noon, causing the explosion.
Earlier, the scene of the blast along BC Road was sealed off by police and a massive hunt has been launched to nab the grenade thrower, Sinha said.
A parked bus of the state road transport corporation (SRTC) suffered extensive damage in the blast which caused panic among the people.
"Whenever there is a heightened state of alert, we strengthen checking and frisking but there is always a possibility of someone slipping through and this one seems to be a case like that," the IGP said.
(With input from agencies.)