Pakistan arrests US-wanted terror suspect Hafiz Saeed linked to 2008’s deadly Mumbai attacks

Saeed has been detained several times before, but never charged or put on trial. For months at a time, he lived freely in the country

That was until Washington stepped up the pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terror groups – and offered a US$10 million reward

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Hafiz Saeed addresses an anti-India rally in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2018. Photo: AP

Published: 9:07pm, 17 Jul 2019Updated: 10:46am, 18 Jul 2019

Pakistan arrested a radical cleric implicated in the 2008 Mumbai attacks who is wanted by the US on terrorism charges, officials said on Wednesday, just days ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trip to Washington.

Hafiz Saeed was taken into custody in Punjab province while travelling from the eastern city of Lahore to the city of Gujranwala, according to counterterrorism official Mohammad Shafiq.

Pakistani police escort Hafiz Saeed (centre) outside a court in Lahore in 2009. Photo: AFP

Saeed founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. His charity organizations, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat, are alleged fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The United States has offered a US$10 million reward for Saeed’s arrest and Washington recently stepped up pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terror groups.

In response, Pakistan registered over a dozen cases against Saeed and several of his associates, accusing them of funding militant groups through charities and leading to Wednesday’s arrest.