Amir Ali aka Akram, a suspect in 2011 Delhi High Court blast, was among the two Hizb-ul-Mujahideen extremists gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday morning, reports said.
The other militant who was killed in the encounter was identified as Shafi.
Security forces reached Dachan area where the suspected militants were reportedly holed up for a meeting. According to reports, officials revealed that the gun battle between the suspected militants and security personnel lasted for an hour in the cordoned area raised around the hideout by the police, who acted on a tip-off.
"We launched an operation today (Monday) morning by throwing a cordon around the area. As we closed in on the hideout of the militants, a fire fight began that continued for over an hour," said a senior police officer as reported by IANS.
Reports suggested that police stormed through the hideout of the militants, when six of the suspected Hizb-ul-Mujahideen extremists convened a meeting to discuss their next attack. In the shootout, two were killed and one was taken into custody. The other four suspects managed to get away.
Akram topped the wanted list for his alleged involvement in different terror cases. He was under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) scanner after he was suspected of facilitating explosives and planter for the blast that rocked the Delhi High Court campus, killing at least ten people and injuring 70 others last year.
The case is being probed by multiple agencies. Officials of Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) also suspected a hand of slain Bollywood starlet Laila Khan in helping the terrorists to carry out the blast. They have also arrested Pervez Tak and Asif Sheikh in connection to the murder of Laila and her five family members. [Read: Delhi High Court Blast: Bollywood Actress Laila Khan's LeT Links Exposed?]
