Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Abu Jundal, the alleged 26/11 conspirator, has made a startling revelation that a mock drill was conducted by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives in Pakistan just two days ahead of the Mumbai terror attacks to ensure the success of the operation..
Media reports on Friday claimed that Ansari also admitted that he was in the “control room” in Baitullah Mujahiddin near the international airport in Karachi, from where he had supervised the mock drill as well as the operation.
Abu Jundal alias Zabiuddin Ansari told the investigators that he was present in the control room and among others who were present were Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi (the LeT military commander) and Abu Alkama, an LeT commander who had allegedly trained terrorists for the September serial blasts in Delhi that year.
Reports also claimed that after the arrest of Lakhvi, the control room was completely destroyed so no documents could be found.
Ansari further told the investigator that he instructed the LeT operatives to restrict the mock drill to two hours, apparently to ensure that the actual attack would not go on for too many days. During the drill, he used the same phone number and the same satellite phone set that he would use during 26/11.
Jundal had earlier revealed before the Special Cell that LeT Toiba is running several training camps in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The 26/11 attacks conspirator informed the investigators that the LeT is imparting paragliding training to its recruits at its camps in Muzaffarabad in the PoK.
During his interrogation, Jundal said that LeT has made paragliding an essential part of the training curriculum of its cadres.
Based on his submission, the security agencies are now trying to verify whether Jundal also received paragliding training. Although the officials haven't completely rejected reports that Jundal was in-charge of training the 26/11 terrorists, they have rubbished reports that he was being trained to fly planes.
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) yesterday moved for his custody and registered an FIR against him and another terrorist Fayaz Kagzi for planning to organise terrorist attacks in India.
The FIR filed on Thursday is under several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Kagzi, along with Jundal, is a senior operative of the Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba, which carried out the Mumbai carnage in November 2008. The FIR has been registered on the basis of input received from the Intelligence Bureau recently.
Jundal yesterday admitted that LeT is expanding its naval wing to carry out more terror strikes.
Jundal is also believed to have told interrogators that Kagzi was his senior in college and had motivated him, and later introduced him to LeT commander Aslam Kashmiri.
According to the reports, Jundal was sent to Kathmandu in 2005 for training for two months in arms and explosives.
He came back from Kathmandu and got involved with the February 2006 Ahmedabad blast. He also worked with Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal to recruit people for Lashkar-e-Toiba and Indian Mujahideen.
With Agency Input
First Published: Friday, June 29, 2012, 12:22