Kamal Singh Jamwal, a 63-year-old resident of Jammu who attempted to kill National Conference chief and former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday, has told investigators that he wanted to kill Farooq for 20 years and on Wednesday evening, “got a chance.”Farooq escaped unhurt when Jamwal fired at him from point-blank range at a wedding in Jammu. At the event, high-profile people were present.Jamwal, a resident of the Purani Mandi area of Old Jammu, has told the police that he wanted to kill Farooq for the past 20 years. “I wanted to kill him. Today, I got a chance to kill him. But he didn’t die,” he said.Asked why he wanted to kill the leader, Jamwal said, “I have my own motive”.Sources in the J&K Police said the accused had no criminal history and was in an inebriated condition at the time of the incident. He told the police that he had a personal weapon, which he used in the incident.In a statement, the Jammu police said Jamwal was arrested after the incident.“The firearm used in the crime has been recovered. Further investigation is on,” the police said.Sources said J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha spoke to Farooq and assured him of a “thorough investigation” into the matter.After the incident, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had stated that his father “had a close shave” and the protection team of Farooq “deflected the shot and ensured that the assassination attempt failed”.On Thursday, when Jamwal was produced in a Jammu court, he told reporters that he did not fire at the behest of anyone. “I fired of my own volition,” he said. The court remanded him in five-day police custody for questioning.During the questioning, Jamwal said he was a cousin of the groom’s father and was at the event on an invitation.Advocate DS Chauhan, legal head of the NC in Jammu province at whose daughter’s wedding the incident occurred , told The Tribune that the accused was not invited to the function.“He (Jamwal) is related to the groom’s family, but I have been told that they were not even in talking terms with him,” he said.He said after the incident, the family checked the CCTV footage, but they could not find how he entered the venue.Chauhan blamed the J&K Police for the security lapse. “There were sitting judges, ministers and other leaders at the event …but not a single policeman was deployed for security,” he said.