A Pakistani national has been detained in Dhaka in connection with the Mumbai terror attack, a high-level government source told rediff.com.
On November 26 last year, ten terrorists had attacked multiple targets in India's financial capital, and over 170 people had been killed in the ensuing carnage.
Nine terrorists were killed during the 58-hour terror siege, while the police managed to arrest Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist.
Investigations revealed that the terrorists belonged to the Lashkra-e-Tayiba, a Pakistan based terrorist outfit, which has been engaged in anti-India activities since a long time.
The Pakistani national held in Dhaka is also linked to the LeT. The terror outfit is headed by Hafiz Mohmmad Saeed, who aims to Islamise entire South Asia, including Kashmir.
Indian investigators have already conducted the preliminary interrogation of the Pakistani detainee, and they were assisted by the Bangladesh and the American government.
"A sinister design is emerging behind the Mumbai attacks and there is no doubt that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba was the mastermind behind the terror strike," said a senior government officer.
The Pakistani detainee was reportedly responsible for running the financial network of the LeT and preparing the groundwork for the actual attack.
Interestingly, the investigating authority is double-checking if Kasab and his leader Ismail, who was killed during the terror siege, had visited Mumbai in July 2008. The investigators suspect that some LeT operatives visited Mumbai in July or September 2008 to arrange the logistics for the attack.
The Indian probe suggests that the finances to plan the terror attack in Mumbai came from LeT's supporters in Saudi Arabia. Fahim Ansari, an Indian accused in the 26/11 terror attack, was selected by the LeT while he was in the Middle East.
The detainee in Dhaka allegedly procured the SIM cards for mobile phones, which were used by the terrorists in Mumbai, from West Bengal. The terror suspect had been living in Bangladesh since the last two years. He reportedly did the 'casing' (planning) of the terror act while he was in hiding.
A source in the government says that if Pakistan could arrest Yusuf Muzzamil, Abu Hamza and Abu Khafa, the truth behind the Mumbai attack as well as the entire terror network could be exposed.
Indian intelligence agencies now know that LeT operatives have been trying to launch an attack, similar to the terror strike on Mumbai, since the last two years. The terrorists had planned to invade Indian cities via the sea route twice in the last two years.
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