Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT operations commander arrested in Pak

Lahore, Jan 2: Mumbai attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was arrested on Saturday in Pakistan on terror financing charges, according to an official statement, amidst growing international pressure on Islamabad to bring to justice terrorists roaming free in the country.
UN proscribed terrorist Lakhvi, who was on bail since 2015 in the Mumbai attack case, was arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab province. Sources in CTD told PTI that Lakhvi was arrested from Lahore.
“Following an intelligence-based operation conducted by the CTD Punjab, proscribed organisation LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was arrested on charges of terrorism financing,” the CTD said in an official statement. It further said that Lakhvi, 61, was arrested in a case of terrorism financing registered in a police station of CTD Lahore.
“Lakhvi is accused of running a dispensary, using funds collected for terrorism financing.
He and others also collected funds from this dispensary and used these funds for further terrorism financing.
He also used these funds for personal expenses,” the CTD said.
The CTD said that in addition to belonging to proscribed organisation LeT, Lakhvi is also a UN designated individual.
“His trial will be held before the Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore,” it added. Lakhvi was designated as a global terrorist by the UN in December 2008 for being associated with LeT and al-Qaeda and for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating of acts by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf or in support of” both the entities. (PTI)