FBI team visits Kasab`s village in Pakistan

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jan 1 (PTI) An FBI team visited the village of
Ajmal Amir Iman 'Kasab', the lone terrorist captured during
the Mumbai attacks, in Pakistan's Punjab province to probe his
links to the deadly terror strikes and was still continuing
its investigation.

The team visited Faridkot, Kasab's village in Okara
district of Punjab province, Wednesday and conducted
inquiries, diplomatic and other sources told PTI.

The sources rubbished reports in the media, particularly
in some Pakistani TV channels, that the FBI team had found
nothing that proved Kasab was a Pakistani national.

The FBI team was still in the process of conducting its
inquiries and would take more time to come to conclusions, the
sources said. They declined to give further details.

The team of investigators arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday
to carry forward the FBI's probe into the Mumbai attacks, in
which six American nationals were also killed. Some reports
have suggested the team is led by FBI's director for South
Asia William Robert, though this could not be independently
confirmed.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko, when contacted by the Dawn
newspaper to comment on the reports of the team's visit to
Faridkot, said: "The FBI continues to assist Indian
authorities with their investigation. We will work with the
Indian authorities and our partners to follow leads wherever
they may take us."

Asked if the FBI team had visited Faridkot, Kolko said:
"We are unable to provide details of what is being done. We
refer you to Indian authorities or the US State Department for
any additional information."

Earlier, FBI sleuths had concluded after questioning
Kasab for nine hours in India that he was a Pakistani and that
the Mumbai attacks were planned and coordinated by the
Pakistan-based elements, including Lashkar-e-Toiba operations
commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

Kasab's father has admitted in an interview to 'Dawn'
that the gunman, whose pictures were beamed around the world
by the media, was his son.

Other residents of Faridkot told Geo News channel that
Iman had last visited the village about six months ago, when
he told his mother he was going away for 'jehad'.

The FBI has registered a case regarding the Mumbai
attacks as the US laws require the agency to file charges in
case of the death or torture of any American national outside
the country.

The Director of US National Intelligence, John Michael
McConnell, too visited India to assist in the probe into the
Mumbai attacks. PTI