Lahore attack: Pak identifies 'little-known' mastermind

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Lahore attack: Pak identifies 'little-known' mastermind

Rezaul H Laskar in Lahore | PTI | March 09, 2009 | 16:39 IST

A little-known militant Muhammad Aqil has been identified by the Pakistani security agencies as the mastermind of the audacious attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, but raids across the city to nab him proved futile on Monday as he managed to escape.
The security agencies conducted raids at several places after identifying Aqil, who has links to a banned militant group. However, the name of the group was not revealed.


Though Aqil, who hails from Kahuta, managed to escape, his accomplice Talat was captured, Geo News channel quoted sources as saying.


Talat and Aqil had been living in a flat near the Liberty traffic roundabout in Lahore, where the Sri Lankan team was attacked on March 3 by a dozen gunmen who ambushed its luxury bus, leaving seven players and an assistant coach injured and eight people dead.


Talat purchased a mobile phone SIM that was used by the terrorists involved in the attack, the channel reported. Aqil masterminded the attack and was also in-charge of its execution, it added.


The Pakistani police have detained nearly 100 people for questioning. None of the 12 terrorists responsible for the attack have been arrested so far. Police have also described at least five of the persons detained by them as "facilitators" of the terrorists who carried out the attack.


Mobile phones discarded by the terrorists have been crucial in tracing suspects, officials have said. Preliminary investigations have also suggested that the attack could have been carried out by a group of operatives of the banned Lashker-e-Tayiba to avenge the arrest of their operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.


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Lahore attack: Pak identifies mastermind

[Awesome]

ISLAMABAD, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan has identified the mastermind allegedly blamed for the deadly attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in eastern Pakistan, local television reported on Monday.

The man who allegedly masterminded the attack on Sri Lankan team in Lahore, capital of Punjab province, is Muhammad Aqeel who belongs to a banned outfit in Pakistan, private Geo TV channel said.

The intelligence agencies had raided a flat in Lahore with the aim of arresting Muhammad Aqeel, but he succeeded in escaping, sources said.

Report said that Muhammad Aqeel was also involved in the attack on former president Pervez Musharraf.

At least seven people including five policemen were killed and 19 others including seven Sri Lankan cricket players were injured in the terrorist attack on March 3.

But there is no official investigative report on the attack so far.

Reports quoted sources as saying that some terrorists belong to Lahore and others come from northwestern Pakistan's tribal areas along the Afghan border.

Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province Salmaan Taseer told reporters on Thursday that the investigations have reached tangible conclusions and they have identified the people who attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Pakistan identifies mastermind behind attack on Sri Lankan cricket team_English_Xinhua

[Awesome]

I hope we nab this guy!

[Bhishma]

Any news regarding the allegations of links to India?

[roadrunner]

Any news regarding the allegations of links to India?

When he's nabbed, he'll talk. That much is sure.

I just hope they adminster a truth serum to him

[Bhishma]

When he\'s nabbed, he\'ll talk. That much is sure.

I just hope they adminster a truth serum to him

I\'m sure they will my friend. And I look forward to the day when you have to eat your words.

[Awesome]

I\'m sure they will my friend. And I look forward to the day when you have to eat your words.

I sincerely hope that is the case and India is not implicated in this attack. Otherwise its going to be war, at least on the Intelligence Agency levels.

[Cheetah786]

I\'m sure they will my friend. And I look forward to the day when you have to eat your words.

Not unless he is already on his way to Raw head quarters for debreifing.

[Bhishma]

I sincerely hope that is the case and India is not implicated in this attack. Otherwise its going to be war, at least on the Intelligence Agency levels.

Interesting. I wonder what would happen if the Indians took a similar view regarding the involvement of ISI in the Mumbai blasts and the preceding Kandahar blasts (which have now been confirmed by multiple and credible sources).

Thankfully, Indian leadership is more responsible than that.

[dk33]

I\'m sure they will my friend. And I look forward to the day when you have to eat your words.

Slightly off topic, but I think its worse when your senior Government and top military officials continue to spout BS about the ISI and PN supporting the Mumbai attackers when your own evidence dossier that you shared with the world clearly states that no institutional Pakistani involvement was found, and security agencies and leaders from around the world confirm that no Pakistani institutions were involved.

At least here we only have some low level officials making that claim. The official GoP response has been extremely disciplined and restrained, as India's should have been. But then I think the GoI was just looking for an excuse to not restart negotiations on resolving Kashmir, and the Mumbai attacks gave that excuse to them.

[Awesome]

Interesting. I wonder what would happen if the Indians took a similar view regarding the involvement of ISI in the Mumbai blasts and the preceding Kandahar blasts (which have now been confirmed by multiple and credible sources).

Thankfully, Indian leadership is more responsible than that.

This attack if found orchestrated by RAW would suggest India has already taken that view.

[Bhishma]

This attack if found orchestrated by RAW would suggest India has already taken that view.

Correct, but then it hasn\'t. So lets hold our horses before declaring war, shall we?

[vkurian]

I hope we nab this guy!

Hope so Asim.

It will be good as it will boost the morale of the law enforcing agencies and will force the agents of terror to think as they will not be able to get away with acts of terror.

It will also put the tu tu mai mai to rest between the two countries.

[Awesome]

Correct, but then it hasn\'t. So lets hold our horses before declaring war, shall we?

As I said, I sincerely hope its not India and we're all wrong.

[Bull]

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Slightly off topic, but I think its worse when your senior Government and top military officials continue to spout BS about the ISI and PN supporting the Mumbai attackers when your own evidence dossier that you shared with the world clearly states that no institutional Pakistani involvement was found, and security agencies and leaders from around the world confirm that no Pakistani institutions were involved

ISI is a Pakistani institution, but doesnt place a GoP seal on everything it does, unlike the PN,PA,PAF.

At least here we only have some low level officials making that claim. The official GoP response has been extremely disciplined and restrained, as India's should have been. But then I think the GoI was just looking for an excuse to not restart negotiations on resolving Kashmir, and the Mumbai attacks gave that excuse to them.

We said Pakistan was responsible and have been vindicated in our stand. I admit we might have jumped the gun in accussing Pakistan but we were proved right, sheer luck or not is secondary. We were able to back it up.

GoP isnt in a similar state. the multiple actors doesnt give them the confidence to straight away blame India.