NEW DELHI:
Indian police made a breakthrough on Monday, arresting a man suspected of helping to plot the 2008 deadly attacks in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, Foreign Minister SM Krishna said.
Indian-born Abu Hamza is a suspected member of the banned Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), local media reported.
Abu Hamza, who is also known by the nom de guerre of Syed Zabiuddin Ansari and Abu Jundul, had been deported from Saudi Arabia and arrested on landing at Delhi’s international airport, according to some media reports.
A New Delhi police spokesman refused to comment, while the Saudi interior ministry was not immediately available for comment.
India blames LeT for the attacks that killed 166 people and shattered India’s fragile relations with Pakistan.
Authorities said a voice believed to be that of Abu Hamza was recorded speaking by phone from Pakistan to the militants at the time of the attacks.
He told the attackers to convey to the media that the “attack was a trailer and the entire movie was yet to come”, according to the Times of India.
Abu Hamza is also believed to have trained the attackers in speaking fluent Hindi, according to the reports.
Peace talks between India and Pakistan have resumed since the attacks, but New Delhi still suspects Islamabad of dragging its feet in bringing the perpetrators to justice, a charge Pakistan denies.
“Let the Delhi police go through the investigation first, and then they will send a report to the government,” Krishna replied to reporters, when asked how India would approach Pakistan over Hamza’s arrest.
“Then can we be sure of what appropriate action can be taken,” he added.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it was collecting details, a top official told The Express Tribune.
“We are in touch with our mission in New Delhi and trying to figure out the situation,” Foreign Office spokesperson Moazzam Ali Khan told The Express Tribune. “I will not comment officially unless the information is shared with us by Indian authorities.”
New Delhi has repeatedly called on Islamabad to take action against the alleged mastermind of the attacks and LeT founder Hafiz Saeed.
Jamaatud Dawa, a charity led by Hafiz Saeed and blamed to be an offshoot of LeT, was quick to deny any links with Abu Hamza.
“Indians say he (Abu Hamza) belongs to the LeT… we don’t recognise the group. We are Jamaatud Dawa. We are a charity involved in social welfare and not terrorists,” said Yahya Mujahid, a spokesperson for Hafiz Saeed.
But some LeT activists who had once been trained in the group’s camps in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and northern parts of Pakistan said the name Abu Hamza sounded familiar.
Although it has not been confirmed that Saudi Arabia played a role in Abu Hamza’s arrest, experts say, if this be the case it reflects pragmatism on Riyadh’s part.
“It looks to be based on real politicking wherein Saudi authorities preferred pragmatism over anything else,” Imtiaz Gul, who heads an Islamabad-based think tank, told The Express Tribune.
Security analyst Lt Gen (retd) Talat Masood agreed with Gul. “Public perception is different but it might have not been a difficult decision for Saudi leaders,” he said.
(Reuters with additional reporting by Zia Khan in Islamabad)
Published In The Express Tribune, June 26th, 2012.
COMMENTS (13)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@Brando: And you were the exact American who was given this task ??? Typical Pakistani, trying to underplay Saudi's and India's effort to nab terrorist who is treated as hero in Pakistan.
Before too much congratulations are given to the Saudis, you have to remember that it was the AMERICANS who informed Delhi about this guy and then TOLD the Saudis to hand him over to India.
Please don't delude yourselves into thinking the Saudis decided to help India - the Americans told the Saudis to help India in the hopes of getting India to help the Saudis against Iran.
@RP: "ET hide the fact that the guy arrested was working in Saudi Arabi as Hindi Teacher for 3 years with Pakistan passport"
Not only is the fact that he has a Pakistani passport being hidden by using the term Indian born, somehow the issue is made to appear that 26/11 was an Indian plot. OF course when describing David Headley his name at birth i.e Daood Gilani or the fact that he is Pakistani born is never mentioned. Selective reporting.
@Babloo:
In fact I heard that there are scores of Pakistani scholars researching why the "e" in LeT is alone in lower case.
All countries, except, Pakistan, seem to be eager to help India in 26/11 probe.
High time, we have better and deeper understanding, which will help in long way to improve relations.
@Babloo: Oh yeah, LeT is a beet-root farming organization based in Uganda.
It is heartening to see the amount of effort the Saudis have put in to ensure that Abu Hamza Jundal was brought to book. If not for Saudi cooperation he would still be out free. You get the feeling that the final chapter on the Mumbai attacks is being written.
Well Pkaistan has not seen any concrete evidense that LeT exists. It does not even know what LeT means. So no action can be taken.
I will call it master stroke of Indian Foreign Policy. Indo-Saudi relations have gone sea change during last few years. This has been a very friendly gesture by Saudis.
The noose seems to be tightening around LeT.
He will sing. And then the chorus of denials.