Pakistani Police Arrest Lashkar-e-Taiba Founder And The Mastermind Of The Mumbai Attacks Hafiz Saeed

DW: Pakistan arrests alleged Mumbai attacks mastermind on terror charges

Pakistani authorities have detained Hafiz Saeed, the leader of a militant group blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The radical cleric is a designated terrorist in the US, where there's a $10-million bounty on his head.

Hafiz Saeed was arrested Wednesday in Pakistan's northeastern Punjab province on charges of financing terrorism, authorities said.

The cleric is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist militant group accused of orchestrating the 2008 attacks in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai that killed more than 160 people.

Saeed is designated a terrorist by the United Nations and the US, which has offered a $10-million (€8.9-million) reward for his capture.

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More News On Pakistani Police Arresting Lashkar-e-Taiba Founder And The Mastermind Of The Mumbai Attack Hafiz Saeed

Pakistan again arrests Lahkar-e-Taiba emir Hafiz Saeed -- Long War Journal
Pakistan arrests US-wanted terror suspect in Mumbai attacks -- AP
Pakistan arrests alleged Mumbai attacks mastermind ahead of US visit -- AFP
Pakistan arrests accused mastermind of Mumbai attacks Hafiz Saeed -- Reuters
Pakistani police arrest Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed -- Al Jazeera
US-wanted terror suspect blamed for 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 arrested in Pakistan -- FOX News

U.S. Puts $10 Million Bounty On Pakistan Terror Chief

US Offers $10m Reward For Mumbai Terror Suspect -- The Guardian

Move against Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, described by supporters as 'a mainstream political and religious leader' in Pakistan, is likely to strain already-fraught relations with Islamabad

The US has offered a $10m (£6m) reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a prominent Pakistani radical blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, in which 166 people were killed.

Hafiz Muhammad Saeed founded the violent extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which in the 1990s sent Islamist militants to fight Indian troops in Kashmir, and is blamed by US and Indian officials for organising the 2008 attacks on tourists and commuters in India's commercial capital

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More News On The U.S. Putting A $10 Million Bounty On Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Founder Of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)

U.S. puts $10 million bounty on Pakistan terror group's leader -- Washington Post/AP
US offers $10mn for Pakistan militant group's founder -- AFP
US tightens screws on Pakistan with $10 million bounty -- Christian Science Monitor
U.S. offers $10-million bounty for Pakistani militant chief -- L.A. Times
US Offers $10 Million Bounty for 2008 Mumbai Terror Suspect -- Voice of America
U.S. offers $10 million for capture of Mumbai attacks suspect -- CNN
U.S. puts $10-million bounty on Pakistani Islamist leader suspected of deadly India attacks -- National Post/Reuters

Lashkar-e-Taiba Could Soon Be The World's Most Dangerous Terror Group (Book Review)

From Kashmiri Insurgents to Global Jihadis -- Wall Street Journal

Lashkar-e-Taiba could soon be the world's most dangerous terror group. Sumit Ganguly reviews "Storming the World Stage."

Over a decade ago, I was researching a book on the then-ongoing insurgency in India-controlled Kashmir when a senior official from New Delhi told me that a new terrorist organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was wreaking havoc in that state. I tried to get as much information about this new group as he was willing to divulge. I didn't learn much.

In the last decade, the world—especially India—has learned a lot about LeT and how deadly it is. The group came to the fore when, along with another terrorist outfit, it carried out a daring attack on India's parliament in December 2001. Since then, it has perpetrated enough terrorist violence across India to convince the country's hardened security forces to see it as one of their chief adversaries.

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My Comment: Another exposure of Pakistan's ISI involvement and support of terror groups. As for the book's author (Stephen Tankel), I suspect that he is now an unwanted person in Pakistan.

Pakistan Sends The Wrong Message .... Again

Indian army soldiers man defensive positions as troops battle militants for control of the Taj Mahal hotel. (DESMOND BOYLAN/REUTERS)

Mumbai Mastermind Suspect Freed By Pakistan Supreme Court -- The Telegraph

A veteran jihadi, who is thought to be the mastermind behind the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai in which 166 civilians were killed, has been freed by Pakistan's Supreme Court.

Hafiz Saeed, who is believed to be the founder of the Lashkar e Taiba terrorist group, was arrested in December 2008, weeks after the attacks when the United Nations declared his Jamat ud Dawa charity a front for the LeT.

It came as the Pakistan government came under unprecedented international pressure amid compelling evidence that the attacks by ten 'fidayeen' terrorist commandos had been plotted and supported from Pakistan.

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My Comment: I guess the NSA intercepts were not admissible in court. The sad fact is that this terrorist promoter has a huge following in Pakistan, and it is from this base of support that helps him to continue his calls for jihad. I only wish the Pakistan Government was able to obtain more evidence against him .... but apparently calling for jihad and mass murder is not enough.

Another Terror Group That Wants To Follow Al Qaeda's Footsteps

The Chicago apartment of U.S. Citizen David Headley, who was recently arrested for plotting to launch attacks on major landmarks in India and Denmark

Terror Without Frontiers: Transnational Terror Plots Expose Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Global Reach -- The Jamestown Foundation

The two day visit of American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials on December 8 to brainstorm with their Indian counterparts in the newly established National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other Indian security agencies provided a much needed thrust to the slow-paced Mumbai terror investigations. The investigating agencies of both countries reportedly shared intelligence to establish the missing link between last year’s terror events in Mumbai and the recently foiled Lashkar-e-Taiba Chicago plot. The NIA was formed in response to last year’s Mumbai attack to deal with terrorism-related threats.

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My Comment: The conclusion of this report summarizes what this terror organization is trying to accomplish.

After lying low for a while subsequent to the Mumbai episode, the LeT’s undiminished desire to launch transnational operations has reemerged. The two recently foiled Chicago and Bangladesh plots have exposed Lashkar-e-Taiba’s transnational character and reach not only in South Asia or the Middle East, but also in Western nations such as the United States. Undoubtedly, any audacious mass casualty attack on India, Denmark or the U.S. embassy in Dhaka would guarantee Lashkar-e-Taiba a position parallel to al-Qaeda in the international terrorism arena. These failed plots prove that the LeT aspires to a global reach and may have the capability to launch large-scale attacks on foreign soil beyond South Asia.

Indeed .....

The Extremists Who Hit Mumbai Are Poised To Strike Again

From Macleans Magazine:

Lashkar-e-Taiba now has global ambitions.

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen and immigration consultant living in Chicago, is at the centre of terrorism investigations in India and the United States that link him to plots in Europe and America—and to the massacre in Mumbai one year ago that killed more than 160 people. Rana, who co-owns a house in Ottawa where he frequently visits, is currently charged in Chicago for allegedly planning an attack against the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. But according to Indian reports citing government sources, he is also suspected of playing a role in the Mumbai attacks, perhaps even scouting targets in the days before the massacre.

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My Comment: The question is not that these extremists are poised to strike again .... but the question is why they have not done so already. Unfortunately .... if the above reports are only 25% true .... we are going to get hit sooner rather than later.

Mumbai Attackers Had Hit List Of 320 World Targets

Azam Amir Kasab, one of the Mumbai attackers, filmed on CCTV inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji train station in Mumbai. Photograph: Reuters

From The Guardian:

Lashkar-e-Taiba ringleaders had ambitions well beyond causing mayhem in India, the Guardian has learned

The plotters behind the Mumbai attack, which left more than 170 people dead, had placed India's financial capital on a list of 320 worldwide locations as potential targets for commando-style terror strikes, the Guardian has learned.

It suggests that Lashkar-e-Taiba, the outlawed terror group that planned much of the attack from Pakistan, had ambitions well beyond causing mayhem in India.

Western intelligence agencies have accessed the computer and email account of Lashkar's communications chief, Zarar Shah, and found a list of possible targets, only 20 of which were in India.

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My Comment: This list of targets was probably brought to the attention of the Pakistani authorities. The list of targets has not been publicized .... this tells me that there must be ongoing investigations in other countries.

Pakistan Cracks Down On Lashkar-e-Taiba

From Christian Science Monitor:

India insists the suspects be tried in India, rejecting a Pakistani trial.

Pakistan announced that it has arrested 71 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba and detained 124 more in an effort to crack down on the Islamic militant group believed to be responsible for November's attacks on the Indian city of Mumba. India's foreign minister insisted that Pakistan must extradite the suspects for trial in India, backing down from his earlier statement that India might accept a trial in Pakistan.

The Associated Press reports that the arrests come as part of Pakistan's investigation into the attacks, which left 164 people dead and heightened tensions between the neighboring nuclear powers. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since 1947.

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U.S. Sharpens Focus On Lashkar-e-Taiba

From The L.A. Times:

Intelligence officials say the group blamed in the Mumbai attacks may be broadening its aims, perhaps even to succeed Al Qaeda should the terrorist network falter.

Reporting from Washington -- The terrorist attacks in Mumbai may mark a new focus on Western targets by the group widely thought responsible for the plot, prompting concern among U.S. intelligence officials that Lashkar-e-Taiba is emerging both as a more potent threat to American interests and as a potential successor to Al Qaeda.

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My Comment: Another Al Qaeda want to be.

Mumbai Attacks: Behind The Fence At 'Terror' Training Camp

Guards armed with Kalashnikovs on the gates the previous day were gone
Photo: EPA

From The Telegraph:

An unmarked turning off the main road 30 miles north of the city of Lahore, led past brick kilns, fields and a shabby village market, to a 200-acre compound fenced off with barbed-wire.

It was the headquarters of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the political wing of the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The previous day, guards on the gate had brandished Kalashnikovs but yesterday the weapons were not on view as it was an "open day" meant to persuade the outside world that Jaamat had no link with the Mumbai attack.

Indian officials have claimed the sole surviving terrorist involved in the Mumbai attacks has confessed he was trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba and spent time at the camp.

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My Comment: They are fooling no one ....

The Group That Carried Out The Mumbai Massacre

A Quick Backgrounder on Lashkar-e-Taiba -- The Weekly Standard

There is a lot of talk about Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group that is strongly suspected of being behind last week's terror assault in Mumbai, India. Below is a quick primer on Lashkar-e-Taiba I've excerpted from an update on the situation in Mumbai I wrote yesterday. There is far more to the terror group than this, but it should help explain the relationship between what is called "al Qaeda Central" and their affiliated groups. There are a lot of people out there twisting themselves in knots to disassociate Lashkar-e-Taiba from al Qaeda. They are wrong to do so.

Lashkar-e-Taiba has an extensive network in southern and Southeast Asia. A senior US military intelligence official described the group as "al Qaeda junior," as it has vast resources, an extensive network, and is able to carry out complex attacks throughout its area of operations. "If by some stroke of luck al Qaeda collapsed, LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) could step in and essentially take its place."The relationship between al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba is complex, the official noted. "While Lashkar-e-Taiba is definitely subordinate to al Qaeda in many ways, it runs its own network and has its own command structure. The groups often train in each others' camps, and fight side by side in Afghanistan."

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