Finally Pak admits Mumbai conspiracy hatched on its soil

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Feb 12 (PTI) Two months after being in
constant denial mode, Pakistan Thursday finally admitted that
"some part of the conspiracy" behind the Mumbai attacks took
place on its soil and a case has been registered against nine
people including Ajmal Kasab, the lone captured terrorist.

After a series of flip-flops denying Kasab's nationality
and the role of Pakistani nationals, Interior Ministry chief
Rahman Malik said "most of the conspirators" of the Mumbai
strikes were in their custody.

Islamabad Thursday made its first formal response to the
Indian dossier on the attacks blamed on terrorists based on
its soil at a press conference by Malik who gave details of
the probe followed a meeting Indian High Commissioner
Satyabrata Pal had with officials here Thursday morning.

While the Indian Foreign Office said it will study the
Pakistani response and react further, the Pakistani Foreign
Office hoped India would reciprocate with the same spirit of
cooperation.

Malik identified Hamad Amin Sadiq, a 38-year-old-man
hailing from Punjab province, as the "main operator" in
facilitating and coordinating the Mumbai attacks and named two
others -- one Khan and one Riaz -- as accused in the case.

In all, cases have been filed against eight persons, six
of them already in custody on charges of "abetting, conspiracy
and facilitation" of a terrorist act.

Malik also said Lashkar-e-Taiba Operations Commander and
alleged mastermind Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi and Communication
expert Zarar Shah were linked to the attacks. They have been
located and were under investigation, he said.

He said Pakistan needed more information and assistance
from India for bringing out a successful criminal prosecution
and added they were sending 30 questions to New Delhi.

He said Pakistan wanted the DNA samples of Kasab to
establish his identity. Among the things Pakistan wanted from
India were Kasab's national identity card, electronic diaries
seized and the confessional statement made by him in the
Indian court and details of who helped in refuelling of one of
the boats used by the terrorists.

Malik said nine terrorists, who carried out the Mumbai
attacks, had sailed from Karachi and one of the boats had
returned to the port city.

Kasab was named among the accused who had "prima facie
committed offences" punishable under the Anti-Terrorism Act,
Pakistan Penal Code and Prevention of Electronic Crimes
Ordinance, Malik said.

Though Malik said the Indian dossier on the Mumbai
incident named Lakhvi as one of those who had launched the
attacks, he did not specify whether Lakhvi was named in the
case.

Malik said Sadiq had operated two bank accounts from
which transactions related to the attacks were made.
Information provided by Sadiq led investigators to two
militant hideouts – one in Karachi and another located a short
distance from the southern port city.

The suspect identified as Khan purchased the engine that
powered the inflatable rubber boat used by the attackers to
travel from a trawler to the Mumbai shore and other articles
like life jackets. Khan also gave sleuths a phone number that
helped them trace Sadiq, he said.

Another person arrested by the Pakistani authorities was
Pakistani national Javed Iqbal, who allegedly made payments in
Spain to acquire Voice over Internet Protocol phone numbers
used by the attackers to remain in touch with their handlers.
Iqbal, who was living in Barcelona, was "lured" to Pakistan
and arrested, Malik said.

Iqbal had named some other persons living in Spain and
linked to the attacks. Pakistan has asked the Spanish
government to arrest these persons, he said.

The Pakistani investigators also traced three boats that
were used by the terrorists. Malik named two of the boats as
Al-Husseni and Al-Fauz. Al-Husseini was reportedly capsized at
sea while Al-Fauz was traced by investigators even though it
was repainted and renamed Mashallah. The crew for both these
boats was the same and they had been identified, Malik said.

Malik said investigators had identified locations used by
the terrorists before launching themselves. They had some kind
of training, they went to the ocean twice. Some of the accused
who have been arrested, they have given us the full run-down,"
he said.

The leads and financing trail connected the attackers to
their leaders, including Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, and would be
"helpful for the investigators to move forward in the FIR".

Pakistani investigators had traced three email accounts
linked to the attacks and the concerned service providers.
They had also traced payment made from Islamabad for some
SIMs of Callphonex, a firm whose service provider and domain
name are in Houston, US.

The owner of the firm in Islamabad though which the
payments were made and a person whose identity card were used
to make the payments had been arrested, he said.

Malik said he had briefed Indian High Commissioner about
the findings of the probe and given him a copy of the report
prepared by the Federal Investigation Agency.

Details of seizures made by Indian authorities,
information on how the attackers had acquired Indian mobile
phone SIM cards and details of intercepts of phone
conversations between the attackers and their handlers were
also sought by Pakistan.

Giving details about the case, Malik said FIR number
01/2009 was registered at the Special Investigation Unit
police station in Islamabad and the case would be handled by
the Special Investigation Group, which probe all terrorist
acts.

Reading out details from the "progress report" on the
Pakistani probe, Malik said LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
– accused by India of being the mastermind behind the Mumbai
attacks – "has been located and is under investigation".

LeT terrorist Abu al Qama, also linked to the attacks, is
in custody and under investigation, he added. Zarar Shah is
also "in custody and under investigation", he said.

However, the real identities of two LeT handlers Abu
Hamza and Kafa – are yet to be established and further
investigation is in progress, he said.

Two persons linked to the VoIP phones used by the
handlers – Mohammed Ashfaq and Javed Iqbal, a Pakistani who
was living in Spain – had been arrested, he said.

A Thuraya satellite phone used by the terrorists was sold
in a Middle Eastern country, which had been contacted for
getting further information. Pakistan also needed more details
and forensic evidence from India on the weapons used by the
attackers, he said.

Pakistan would also contact the US Federal Bureau of
Investigation and Interpol for details on phone SIMs obtained
by the terrorists from Austria and VoIP numbers, for which
payments were made in Spain and Italy, Malik said. PTI RHL
DEP