Farooq Abdullah attacker says he planned to ‘kill’ J&K leader for 20 years

A 63-year-old man arrested for opening fire at former Farooq Abdullah at a wedding function in Jammu told police he had been planning to kill the veteran leader for nearly two decades, describing it as his “personal agenda”, officials said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal from Jammu, allegedly fired a shot at Abdullah from point-blank range while the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference chief was leaving a marriage function in the Greater Kailash area on Wednesday night. The bullet missed after members of Abdullah’s security team intervened and quickly overpowered the attacker.

“I wanted to kill Farooq Abdullah for the past 20 years. It was my personal agenda. The weapon is my own, issued to me,” Jamwal told police, adding that he considered himself “lucky to survive”.

Police said the firearm used in the incident was Jamwal’s licensed weapon and ruled out any terror angle. Officials also said the accused appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack.

Shot fired at wedding venue

The incident took place as Abdullah was leaving the wedding venue after attending the ceremony for more than an hour. Surinder Choudhary, the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and senior National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani were accompanying him at the time.

CCTV footage from the venue reportedly shows the accused approaching Abdullah from behind and pointing a pistol at him from close range before firing. The shot missed the former chief minister, and security personnel immediately restrained the gunman before he could fire again.

Police said the pistol used in the attack has been seized and the accused taken into custody.

Leaders escape unhurt

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said his father had a “very close shave” and credited the security team for foiling the attack.

“Allah is kind. My father had a very close shave. The details are sketchy at the moment but what is known is that a man with a loaded pistol was able to get within point blank range and discharge a shot. It was only the close protection team that deflected the shot and ensured that the assassination attempt failed,” Omar Abdullah said in a post on X.

He added that there were “more questions than answers” about how the attacker managed to get so close to a Z+ protected former chief minister.

Choudhary, who was present at the venue, also described the episode as a serious security lapse, questioning how an armed individual could enter an event attended by senior leaders.

Investigation underway

Eyewitnesses said the firing occurred as Abdullah and other guests were leaving the venue after dinner. The accused was later beaten by some people present at the function before being taken away by security personnel.

Police officials said senior officers rushed to the spot after the incident and a detailed investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances and motive behind the attack.

Leaders of the National Conference said Abdullah, Choudhary and Wani were safe. “Alhamdulillah, they are safe and fine,” party spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said after speaking with them.