section_path: Investigations and arrests/Indian investigations/Masterminds behind the attack
section_name: Masterminds behind the attack
paragraph_text: Masterminds behind the attack
  
  Security agencies have identified three terrorists behind the Pahalgam terror attack. Two of them — Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafeez Saeed and his deputy Saifullah Khalid Kasuri — are in Pakistan, while the third, Hashim Moosa, is believed to be hiding in the forests of south Kashmir. An extensive operation is underway to capture him, with concerns that he may attempt to flee to Pakistan. Hashim Moosa, a former para-commando in Pakistan's Special Service Group, joined Lashkar-e-Taiba and has been involved in several terror attacks since infiltrating India in 2023. Authorities aim to capture him alive to confirm Pakistan's involvement in the attack. He was involved in a deadly October attack in Ganderbal that killed seven and another in Baramulla where four security personnel died. In total, he has been linked to at least six terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.