Jammu: Police arrested one of the prime accused in the militant attack on Vaishnodevi pilgrims in July, in which seven devotees were killed, following an encounter with Lashkar-e-Toiba ultras in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said in Jammu on August 17.

The encounter broke out on August 9 during a major operation launched by investigating teams to track down the militants involved in the July 21 attack on pilgrims near Katra, they said.

During sustained interrogation, the LeT militant identified as Mohammad Yousef alias Mithu confessed that he along with a Pakistani ultra Abdullah mixed with the pilgrims in the guise of porters and threw two grenades at Banganga's Gulshan Langer area en-route Vaishnodevi, the sources said.

After hurling the grenades, they escaped along with pilgrims and disappeared. Two more people, who assisted them in the task, were also arrested, the sources said.

Mithu had also hurled a grenade at the troops during the August 9 encounter, they said, adding a grenade and a wireless set were recovered from him.

A manhunt has been launched to nab Abdullah and three other militants, they added.

PTI