scorecardresearch
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
Advertisement
Premium

Ajmal Kasab statements reveal Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi’s crucial role in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks

Gunman who was later hanged, had also said Lakhvi was present at the LeT media wing’s control room.

The Mumbai Police’s probe into the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and the 11,200-page chargesheet filed by it on February 25, 2009 presents a detailed account of the crucial role played by Lashkar-e-Toiba’s chief of anti-India operations Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in the dastardly attack.

Lakhvi was one of the 35 wanted accused named in the chargesheet, and the first page of the exhaustive document stresses, “Hafiz Saeed has been listed as the leader of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. The United Nations Security Council has also listed Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Haji Mohammad Ashraf, and Mahmoud Mohammad Ahmed Bahaziq as senior members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi is listed as the terror group’s chief of Anti-India operations.”

The chasrgesheet accuses Lakhvi of “abetting in executing these attacks after Military precision-like planning and training between December 2007 to November 2008 in Pakistan.” He is named as one of the 15 key trainers of the ten gunmen who attacked Mumbai. The trainers were “experts in their field and trained them (the ten gunmen) to a degree of perfection,” the chargesheet states.

Advertisement

Along with Abu Hamza, Muzammil alias Yusuf and Kahfa, all senior LeT functionaries, Lakhvi is alleged to have closely monitored the group of ten recruits chosen for the attack.

In a dossier prepared shortly after the 26/11 attacks, the Mumbai Police said that during interrogation, Kasab was shown a photograph on Lakhvi’s passport. Kasab identified him as someone who briefed the ten terrorists in LeT camps near Muzzafarabad and Azizabad. Kasab “described Lakhvi as the most important person in the LeT and the mastermind behind the operations in Mumbai” the dossier stated.

Festive offer

One of the most damning accounts of Lakhvi’s role in the attack is found in the confessional statement of the only gunman arrested Ajmal Amir Kasab, recorded before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R V Sawant-Waghule on February 21, 2009.

In his confession,Kasab said that between December 2007 and January 2008, he underwent 21 days of Daura-e-Sufa training at an LeT camp in Muridke. “During this training, Ustad Abu Kahfa introduced us to LeT’s chief Hafiz Saeed, operational commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, area commander Abu Al Qama, Muzammil alias Yusuf, training-in-charge Abu Umar Saeed and Abu Hamza. Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was called Chacha (uncle) or Lakhvi,” Kasab stated.

Advertisement

When the recruits were introduced, Hafeez Saeed declared “All Mujahideens should fight to free Kashmir,” the confession states.

Us waqt Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi ne hamey, “Ab jehad ka waqt aa gaya hain,’ aisey batakar usne kaha, ‘Hamara jamaat pandrah saalonsey Kashmir mein ladh raha hain. Iske bavjood bhi Hindustani siyasat Kashmir ko aazad nahi kar rahi hain. Ab hamey Hindustan ke saath jung ladhkar Kashmir ko hasil karna hain.” Uske baad Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi ne hamsey poocha, “Kya tum is jung ke liye tayyar ho.” (Then Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi told us, “It’s time for jihad. Our group has been fighting in Kashmir for 15 years. Despite this, Indian politics is not allowing Kashmir to be free. Now we need to wage war with India and get Kashmir”. He then asked us, “Are you ready for this war.”)

Kasab said that while he was at a gruelling training camp held at Baitul Mujahideen in Muzzafarabad in May, June and July 2008, he saw Hafiz Saeed and Lakhvi once hug a man introduced to him later as ‘Major General Saheb’. Kasab’s trainers at the camp, Abu Maviya and Abu Hanjla saluted the stranger and told the recruits that the trainers at the camp, including themselves, were his men.

In September 2008, after the recruits had completed marine training, they were taken back to Baitul Mujahideen, where Hafiz Saeed and Lakhvi allegedly asked them about the marine training, Kasab stated. After three days, Saeed and Lakhvi sent six recruits – Abu Dajana, Abu Hamza, Abu Al Qasam, Abu Abdullah, Abu Umer Kaala and Abu Zuber – to Kashmir to carry out a fidayeen attack, Kasab said.

Advertisement

Kasab added that around 10 days later, Saeed, Lakhvi, Muzammil, Abu Al Qama, Abu Hamza, Abu Kahfa and Abu Umar Saaed called Kasab and the other recruits to the Baitul Mujahideen office, where Lakhvi told them , “Hindustan ki maali dalat Bambai se hain, isliye humey Bambai par hamla karna jaroori hain. Aap sab mujahideeno ne samandari raastey ke baarey mein achi training li hain. Hum samandari raastey se Bambai par hamla karenge.” (India’s financial wealth comes from Mumbai, that’s why we have to attack Mumbai. All you mujahideens have been trained well on the sea route. We will attack Mumbai from the sea.)

Lakhvi and Saeed then allegedly embraced Major General Saheb and spoke to him at a short distance. Lakhvi then returned to the recruits and told them that Major General Saheb wanted to see how well they were trained.

Kasab goes on to state that he was later introduced to Zarar Shah, who along with Ibrahim, headed the LeT’s media wing. Zarar Shah and Ibrahim had set up a sophisticated media room, where they would gather maps, CDs and information about big cities across the world, select targets, and tell Lakhvi about them.

While being briefed about the Mumbai attack plan, Lakhvi instructed the ten chosen gunmen that before they began their attack, they needed to plant RDX bombs around their target as the blasts would cause traffic jams. A lot of people including policemen who would rush to the attack site to provide assistance would be killed in the blasts, Lakhvi told them.

Advertisement

Lakhvi was one of handlers present at the LeT media wing’s control room when Kasab and the other nine chosen gunmen were shown roads leading to their targets in Mumbai on a large screen.

One Friday at a camp near Karachi, Lakhvi told the ten gunmen that operations had been stalled for some time. In his confession, Kasab stated that he tried to reassure Lakhvi that he could carry out his mission as planned, and there was no need to stall it. Lakhvi responded, “Mujhe pata hain. Tum pehle se hi pakke jehadi ho. Lekin kuch waqt ruko (I know. You are a true jehadi from the start. But wait for some time.) He left the camp the following day.

On November 21, Lakhvi selected Ismail Khan from among the ten gunmen as the leader of the mission, Kasab also stated.

After the ten gunmen were handed phones with Indian SIM cards, Lakhvi told them that Zarar Shah had saved his number on the phones, and told them how to call the number and update them about their progress. He then told Ismail Khan to note down some numbers in his diary. Lakhvi also gave Ismail Khan a satellite phone, before leaving.

Advertisement

Early on November 22, the ten gunmen left Karachi on their mission to Mumbai. After a 30 minute drive, they reached a spot on the coast where Lakhvi was waiting for them. He told them that Saeed and he had worked hard on the mission, and it was the responsibility of the ten gunmen to ensure that they did not disappoint them. The hard work needed to pay off, he told them. Lakhvi also told them to contact the media from Nariman House, Oberoi and Taj Hotels on mobile phones, and said instructions on what was to be said would be passed on to them later. Lakhvi then handed over maps of Mumbai and the chosen targets to the ten gunmen.

According to Kasab’s confession, Lakhvi then offered prayers for the ten gunmen, before instructing Ismail Khan on how to make sure that the Indian vessel (M V Kuber) they would hijack would sink after they left it. He then took Ismail aside and spoke to him briefly, Kasab stated.

The ten terrorists started in a small boat from Karachi at around 8 am on November 22, 2008. After travelling for about 40 minutes, they were shifted to a larger boat, ‘Al Husseini’, which, according to Kasab, belonged to Lakhvi.

The confessional statement of Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attack who was deported from Saudi Arabia in June 2012, reveals that Lakhvi was present in the LeT control room in Karachi, passing on tactical instructions to the ten terrorists in Mumbai.

Advertisement

Lakhvi is also alleged to be have been the handler of David Coleman Headley, who is alleged to have scouted various targets in Mumbai to lay the groundwork for the 26/11 attack.

First uploaded on: 19-12-2014 at 02:35 IST
Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
shorts
Maguntas
Political PulseUpdated: March 28, 2024 22:43 IST

Away from the national capital’s courtroom where the case against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is playing out, two key figures embroiled in the excise policy case – four-time MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Raghava Magunta Reddy – are busy campaigning for BJP ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP)

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
close