Terrorist throws grenade in Mosque in Kashmir, killing 5

A man threw a grenade into a mosque compound in the village of Tahab, in Pulwama district, south Kashmir, November 10, killing five and injuring dozens.

Several hundred mosque worshippers had gathered for Friday morning prayers when the grenade attack took place, Reuters has reported.

Four people died instantly, and another died while being transported to the hospital at Srinigar, 25 miles away. 55 people were injured, some seriously. Among the dead were four girls.

According to news reports, another grenade attack took place at a high street market in Hari Singh, Srinigar, which injured six people. Three of those injured in the market blast were security personnel.

According to Reuters, the man who threw the grenade at the mosque in Tahab village was pursued and captured by the congregation. He was later handed over to Indian security forces. The man, who has confessed to the bombing has claimed that he agreed to throw the grenade for a mere Rs. 1,000 rupees ($ 20).

The man, Ghulam Nabi Mir is a member of Hizbul Mujahideen, one of the twenty or so groups which seek to have Jammu and Kashmir state seceded from India and either become an independent Muslim state or another province of Pakistan.

Mir, who was brought before a press conference, reportedly said, "Forgive my mistake. I wouldn't make such a mistake again."

The Inspector General of Police for Kashmir, S.M. Sahai, said that the man that the Hizbul Mujahideen wished to target was the preacher Maulana Abdul Rashid Dawoodi, who is of the Barelvi sect. The preacher was among the 55 people who were injured.