New Delhi: Top Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, accused of being one of the masterminds of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, is one of the most wanted terrorists by India. Lakhvi is also accused of training and handling the 10 Lashkar terrorists who sneaked into Mumbai and killed 166 people during the attack. He was arrested in 2008 and was detained at the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
He was among six people arrested in the Mumbai attacks trial in Pakistan. The grant of bail to Lakhvi comes a day after Pakistan's Prime Minister vowed to root out all terrorism from the country. The Lashkar-e-Toiba is banned in Pakistan.
Hafiz Saeed, another man accused by India of plotting the 26/11 attacks, already roams free in Pakistan and regularly appears on national TV blaming India for the massacre of the children at the Peshawar school and vowing revenge. Like Saeed, Lakhvi is designated as terrorist by US.
Lakhvi persuaded, guided and handled David Headley for conducting reconnaissance in India which resulted in death of 166 persons and injury to 238 persons in the 26/11 attack, according to India's National Investigation Agency.
The National Investigation Agency claims a meeting was held in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir around March 2008. Headley along with the other co-conspirators based in Pakistan i.e. Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Sajid Majid, Muzzamil and Abu Qahafa participated in this meeting. One Frogman to whom Headley was introduced as Abdur Rehman had also participated in the meeting. The meeting discussed the potential landing sites for the attack in Mumbai. Following the discussion Headley was given the task of identifying the landing sites for the attackers in Mumbai.
Upon the return of Headley to Pakistan he met Major Iqbal in Lahore and handed over the videos to Major Iqbal. Headley also met Sajid Majid in Rawalpindi. In pursuance of the said criminal conspiracy to attack different places as videographed by accused Headley, Sajid Majid, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lahkvi, Abu Anas and Abu Qahafa held a meeting. In this meeting Abu Qahafa plotted the points marked by Headley in the GPS on his laptop to get an idea of the sea route to be followed and landing sites to be identified. The egress points of the attackers were also discussed during this meeting.
In or around June 2008, on the directions of the Pakistan based co-conspirators David Coleman Headley separately met Lashkar Member Sajid Majid, Abu Qahafa, Zaki-ur-Lakhvi, Abu Anes in Muzzaffarabad, and Major Iqbal in Lahore In or around first week of August 2008 a meeting of top hierarchy of LeT (known as Sura of Zaki) headed by Zaki (A-4) was held in Muzaffarabad. This meeting was held to finalise the 26/11 Mumbai attack. The conspirators based in Pakistan finally approved a strong hold option over the egress option.
(The above information is from NIA)
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