Vishwa Mohan | TNN
New Delhi: Just a week ahead of the crucial trial of a key 26/11 accused in the US, India on Monday released detailed dossiers on five Pakistanis, including a serving ISI major who have been chargesheeted by US authorities in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks.
The move is aimed at highlighting the role of Pak spy agency ISI as a terror sponsor at a time when the detection of Osama bin Laden in the garrison town of Abbottabad has trained the global spotlight anew on ISI’s terror links across the globe. Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pak-Canadian who is to go on trial in Chicago for facilitating the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai, has claimed immunity from prosecution on the ground that he was working for the Pakistan government. INFAMOUS FIVE
Major Iqbal | Suspected serving ISI officer, aged 35. Indian investigators say he is the brain behind 26/11, along with another Pak Army officer, Major Sameer Ali. Pak-American Lashkar terrorist David Headley had named Major Iqbal as his handler to FBI interrogators Sajid Mir | LeT terrorist, also a Headley handler. Mir and Maj Iqbal instructed Headley on locations for video surveillance in and around Mumbai, other places he visited
Abu Qahafa | Lashkar associate who trained others in combat techniques for terrorist attacks
Lashkar ‘Member D’ and Mazhar Iqbal | LeT commanders ‘Dossiers were given to Pak at foreign secy talks’
New Delhi: India has released dossier on five Pakistanis chargesheeted by the US in connection with Mumbai 26/11 attacks including as serving ISI major.
A week before going on trial in US, 26/11 key accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pak-Canadian has claimed immunity from prosecution on the ground that he was working for the Pakistan government.
Besides Major Iqbal of ISI, others who figure in the dossiers include Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander and head of its Indian operation Sajid Majeed alias Sajid Mir, Lashkar trainer and explosives expert Abu Qahafa, Lashkar's Kashmir in-charge Mazhar Iqbal alias Abu al-Qama and Lashkar's operational commander Muzammil who took charge of anti-India operations of the banned terror outfit after Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi's arrest.
The home ministry, however, did not identify M u z a m m i l in its note, using FBI's description of 'Member D' for him in its second indictment report against the five Pakistanis in the C h i c a g o court.
American Lashkar terrorist David Coleman Headley, who has pleaded guilty for his role in 26/11, will be the witness in the case where Rana has been accused of using his travel agency to help Headley carry out the recee of Mumbai and other places in India on Lashkar's hit list.
Stating that the US move "vindicates" Indian probe, a senior home ministry official said, "The dossiers were handed over to Pakistan during the Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks in February last year. Islamabad has, however, not acted on it so far."
India had named Major Iqbal and another Pakistani army officer Major Sameer Ali as the brain behind the Mumbai terror strikes along with Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed. Interpol Red Corner Notices (RCNs) have been pending against them since last year. Headley during his interrogation had disclosed these names, stating the roles of each of them. It was Major Iqbal who had first received all the 26/11 surveillance videos from Headley.
The home ministry's dossier on the accused said that Major Iqbal, who was posted in Lahore from 2007 to 2008, had handled Headley. The US federal prosecutor too said that in July 2006, Major Iqbal provided to Headley approximately $25,000 to, among other purposes, establish and operate the Mumbai office of First World and pay for living expenses while Headley carried out his assignments for Lashkar.
The dossier said Sajid Mir was associated with LeT and supervised others. He also served as a "handler" for Headley while Abu Qahafa trained others in combat techniques for use in terrorist attacks.
US federal prosecutors had revealed that Sajid Mir, Abu Qahafa and Mazhar Iqbal conspired with each other, Headley, 'Lashkar Member D' (Muzammil) and others known and unknown to the grand jury, to deliver, place, discharge and detonate explosives and other lethal devices in, into and against places of public use, state and government facilities, public transportation systems and infrastructure facilities in India.
During the course of attacks in Mumbai, Sajid Mir, Abu Qahafa and Mazhar Iqbal were in touch with the gunmen, giving them instructions and asking them to arrange the release of a hostage in exchange for the release of a captured attacker.
No comments:
Post a Comment