Click to see full-size image
On July 17th, Pakistani authorities arrested Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of a four-day militant attack on the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, on terror finance charges, a spokesperson for the chief minister of the Punjab province said.
Saeed, designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations, is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, the militant group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people.
Lashkar-e-Taiba, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US State Department, aims to drive India out of the disputed region of Kashmir and establish an Islamic state across Kashmir, Pakistan, and India.
He maintains that he and his network, which includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.
The arrest comes days before Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visited the US.
Channel News Asia cited an anonymous Indian official who said that the arrest was simply due to Khan visiting the US soon.
The US offers a $10 million bounty for information leading to Saeed’s conviction over the Mumbai attacks.
“We have seen this before,” the anonymous Indian official said. “After the visit is over, things are usually back to what they were before.”
In 2017, Saeed was put under house arrest by Pakistani authorities and subsequently released after being cleared of charges against him.
US President Donald Trump praised the arrest, saying it was due to the US exerting “great pressure” on the Pakistani government over the last two years.
After a ten year search, the so-called “mastermind” of the Mumbai Terror attacks has been arrested in Pakistan. Great pressure has been exerted over the last two years to find him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2019
However, former Pakistan ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani contested Trump’s tweets and said that the official who gave the President such information should be fired.
“Finding him was never an issue. He operated freely and was highly visible. He has been arrested and released many times over,” he said.
“The president should “immediately fire whoever gave him the wrong information,” Haqqani said in a tweet with other people also expressing their opinion on the arrest.
Finding him was never an issue. He operated freely and was highly visible. He has been arrested and released many times over. @POTUS shd immediately fire whoever gave him the wrong information. @StateDept @SecPompeo https://t.co/RWFONNAdSF
— Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) July 17, 2019
“Found?? The man had been leading prayers in the largest cricket stadium of the country for years & riding horses to the national monument in Lahore, Pakistan,” tweeted columnist Mohammad Taqi.
Finding him was never an issue. He operated freely and was highly visible. He has been arrested and released many times over. @POTUS shd immediately fire whoever gave him the wrong information. @StateDept @SecPompeo https://t.co/RWFONNAdSF
— Husain Haqqani (@husainhaqqani) July 17, 2019
Found?? The man had been leading prayers in the largest cricket stadium of the country for years & riding horses to the national monument in Lahore, Pakistan#HafizSaeed https://t.co/DkNuCJ415R pic.twitter.com/6q7EOJaKS1
— Mohammad Taqi (@mazdaki) July 17, 2019
So, it is quite likely that the arrest is simply used as a little boost in relations prior to the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on July 22nd.
The 2008 Mumbai Attack for which Saeed is being accused of masterminding were a series of attacks that took place between November 26th – 29th in the city of Mumbai, India.
Approximately 166 people died in them, in addition to 9 of the attackers. Upwards of 300 were injured.
Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, The Oberoi Trident, The Taj Palace & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, The Nariman House, the Metro Cinema, and in a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier’s College. There was also an explosion at Mazagaon, in Mumbai’s port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle. By the early morning of November 28th, all sites except for the Taj Hotel had been secured by the Mumbai Police and security forces. On November 29th, India’s National Security Guards (NSG) conducted Operation Black Tornado to flush out the remaining attackers; it culminated in the death of the last remaining attackers at the Taj Hotel and ended the attacks.
Only one attacker survived – Ajmal Kasab, who took responsibility for the attack on the part of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan did confirm the controllers of the attack were Pakistani, On April 9th 2015, the foremost ringleader of the attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was released on bail and disappeared.
Locations of 2008 Mumbai attacks. Click to see full-size image
Hafiz Saeed never involved in any terrorist activity and will be released soon. This is not first time that HS was arrested. LOL
The Wahhabi Sunni have been in charge of Pakistan’s intel since Bush Senior and bin Laden started Al Qaeda back in the 80’s. To think they would give up one of their own if fantasy.
Pakistan’s corrupt ISI just made $10 million by selling out this terrorist again as a stunt. Pakistan has created and supported these Wahhabi terror groups with Saudi and UAE funding.The Americans are plain stupid.