Naved makes confessional statement before court

LeT terrorist Mohammed Naved Yakub, a resident of Pakistan, made a confessional statement before a magistrate here on Wednesday regarding the role of the terror outfit in carrying out strikes like the Udhampur attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

Under tight security, Naved was brought before a magistrate here this morning where the judge asked him whether he was giving the confessional statement under any duress or voluntarily, official sources said.

After Naved said that he was willingly giving the statement, the judge sent him back to jail and asked him to come after lunch. He was produced before the judge at 1 pm and the recording of his statement continued till 4.30 pm during which he gave an account of his family background, role of LeT terror group, his handlers in the Kashmir valley and execution of August five attack on BSF convoy in which two personnel were killed.

Naved had given a written consent in Urdu before Chief Judicial Magistrate on August 24 that he wanted to give a confessional statement before a court.

Naved along with his accomplice Mohammed Noman alias Momin had carried out a terror strike on a BSF convoy on August five in Udhampur, killing two personnel of the border guarding force. Momin was killed in retaliatory fire while Naved was foxed and nabbed by two villagers whom he wanted to kidnap.

Ahead of recording his statement, the accused was kept in judicial custody away from the NIA and other sleuths for a mandatory 48 hours for him to get an opportunity to rethink whether or not he wanted to give a confessional statement suo motu.