In the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, the Canadian-Pakistani businessman and prominent conspirator Tahwur Hussain Rana sits in a high-security cell in New Delhi, making back the layers of one of the most high-profile matters in modern Indian history.
After a long legal battle, Rana’s extradition from the US once again made headlines on the alleged role of Pakistan’s inter-service intelligence (ISI), leaving 166 dead in Mumbai, including six Americans. There are two central figures for this plot: Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali, accused the ISI operators, which are the most desired list of the anti -terrorist body National Investigation Agency (NIA).
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According to NIA sources, Rana is expected to grill on the alleged participation of chief Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali and coordinated with him in the leading days for the attack.
Handler: Major Iqbal
According to a report by the 2018 Press Trust of India (PTI), the 2010 Chicago prosecution was the chief Iqbal -serving ISI officer – no peripheral player. He has been accused as a person who has financed, directed and microonged the reconnaissance missions organized by David Coleman Headley, Pakistani-American double agent, directed and micromanaged, whose scouting of Mumbai sites enabled the massacre.
Headley, who convicted Major Iqbal as his primary ISI handler, who was convicted for avoiding death sentence in 2010, part of the trio of agency officials who “admitted, trained, and directed him”. In a testimony in 2011, Headley revealed more than 20 email exchanges, with a person whom he knew as “Chaudhary Khan” – a surname for the chief Iqbal.
Email of May 1, 2008 discussed exploiting a member of Shiv Sena, then a Shiv Sena member Rajram Rege to increase its cover. Rajram Rege quoted the news agency PTI in 2016, “Headley met me outside the army building with a luxury war.
Another email directed Headley to update the chief Iqbal on “projects” and monitoring devices.
The US prosecution described Major Iqbal as “a resident of Pakistan, who participated in the plan and funding attacks by Lashkar” and accused him in six cases of terrorism and murder, in which he followed the allegations behind the allegations and followed the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tabiba (late) funds and resources. Nevertheless, there is no clear mention of ISI, clearly absent from the document.
Control Room: Major Sameer Ali
If Major Iqbal was a architect, Major Sameer Ali – another accused was ISI officer – Field Marshal. According to 26/11 handler Zabiuddin Ansari (aka Abu Jundal), who was arrested by Delhi Police in 2012, Sameer Ali overtook the real -time attacks from the late control room in Malir Cantonment of Karachi, a military garys area.
In his testimony, Jundal, Sameer Ali directed Commander Zaki-ur-Remon Lakhvi to issue instructions during the siege.
Interpol’s red notice for Sameer Ali described him in 1966, being born in Urdu, Hindi and English, and desired to be desired for organized crime and terrorism by India. Nevertheless, Pakistan repeatedly denied its existence, rejecting it as a “fictional character”.
According to a 2012 Economic Times report, Jundal told the inquiry that Pakistan’s own Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided and destroyed the Karachi control room weeks after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Months later, he arrested Lakhvi at the Baitul Mujahideen camp in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan -occupied Kashmir – although Jandal and Abu Qahafa – a fighter trainer nominated in the prosecution, exited one behind.
