Lakhvi, Shah among Mumbai attack suspects arrested

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Feb 15 (PTI) The top operations commander of
LeT, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and its communications expert Zarar
Shah have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the
Mumbai terror attacks, it was disclosed Sunday amid reports
that up to six other suspects were remanded to police custody
by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court.

The Pakistan government had announced on Thursday the
arrest of six people for "planning, financing and abetting"
the Mumbai terror attacks but about Lakhvi and Shah, the
Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik had merely stated that
they have been "located and are under investigation".

It now turns out that the two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) top
operatives are among those arrested, according to Pakistani TV
channels, which said that they and up to six others were
presented before the anti-terrorism court and had been
remanded for 14-day custody of the Federal Investigation
Agency (FIA) for interrogation.

Anti-terror court judge Sakhi Mohammed Kahut remanded
the suspects to the custody of the FIA for 14 days after they
were produced before him at an undisclosed location Saturday,
the reports said.

However, there was confusion over the number of suspects
remanded to the FIA's custody. Geo News channel said six
suspects were handed over to the investigating agency while
Dawn News channel reported FIA was granted "physical remand"
for eight suspects.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive
during the Mumbai attacks, was also named among the suspects
by Malik, who had said two more suspects had been identified
but were still at large.

Shahbaz Ahmed Rajput, an advocate who said he had been
hired by families of the suspects, too made an appearance at
the court yesterday and claimed the accused were in "illegal
detention". He also claimed some of the suspects had been
detained in November without any formal charges being filed
against them.

He said he did not favour holding of an in-camera trial.
"The entire world is interested in this case and it is also a
matter of the court's credibility."

Saturday, Pakistani authorities kept the media guessing
about whereabouts of the suspects. A large number of reporters
waited in vain for almost the whole day at an anti-terrorism
court where the suspects were expected to be produced.

Western diplomatic sources told PTI that Lakhvi, Shah and
Sadiq were among the suspects being held by Pakistani security
agencies. They had earlier been questioned by the ISI before
being handed over to the security agencies, the sources said.

Lakhvi and Shah were held during raids by the Pakistan
Army on LeT facilities near Muzaffarabad, the capital of
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in early December.

It is believed that the government has decided to try the
accused in a special anti-terrorism court and the proceedings
are expected to be held in-camera. Reports suggested the trial
could be held at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

This decision is believed to have been influenced by the
close links that existed earlier between the LeT and the
Pakistani security establishment. Any disclosures about such
links by the detained LeT suspects in an open court could
prove embarrassing for the establishment, observers said. PTI
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